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It’s Day 8 of the actors on the bricks and in New York City several big names were spotted in Times Square for a major rally in the Big Apple.
Christine Baranski, Jessica Chastain, Arian Moayed, Christian Slater, Brendan Fraser and Bryan Cranston were some of the notable celebrities in the crowd.
“It is time, it is just simply time to make things right,” Baranski exclaimed to the rally. “Our contribution will not be undervalued and we will not be replaced.”
Cranston delivered a very powerful speech at the podium, which was in front of ABC Studios.
“Our industry has changed exponentially. We are not in the same business model that we were in 10 years ago,” the “Breaking Bad” actor told the crowd. “Yet, even though they admit that is the truth in today’s economy. They are fighting us tooth and nail to stick to the same economic system that is outmoded, outdated. They want us to step back in time. We cannot and will not do that.”
“What we have put forth in negotiations is not unreasonable, it is not unfair and I find it very ironic that we are all gathered here today in unity, in front of an entity that is run by Disney,” he continued.
The actor then blasted the company’s CEO Bob Iger.
“We’ve got a message for Mr. Iger,” he said. “I know, sir, that you look [at] things through a different lens. We don’t expect you to understand who we are. But we ask you to hear us, and beyond that to listen to us when we tell you we will not be having our jobs taken away and given to robots. We will not have you take away our right to work and earn a decent living. And lastly, and most importantly, we will not allow you to take away our dignity! We are union through and through, all the way to the end!”
Many feel Iger’s public comments during the strike have made things worse.
The Hollywood Reporter did a deep dive into this.
While at, what’s called a “billionaires’ camp,” Iger told CNBC that the unions were being unrealistic.
“There’s a level of expectation that they have that is just not realistic,” he said. “They are adding to the set of the challenges that this business is already facing that is, quite frankly, very disruptive.”
This came a day after Disney revealed Iger’s contract would be extended to 2026. THR noted that his estimated net worth is set to go up “millions.”
In 2019, Iger’s estimated net worth was $690 million according to Forbes.
SAG-AFTRA joined the writers on the picket lines on July 14 after voting on the strike the day before. So far there is no end in sight for both unions’ negotiations with the studios.
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