Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston had an impassioned message for Disney CEO Bob Iger at the SAG-AFTRA strike rally in New York on Tuesday.
The actor joined Academy-Award winners Jessica Chastain, Brendan Fraser and F Murray Abraham in Times Square for the union rally alongside Christian Slater, Wendell Pierce, Christine Baranski, Rachel Zegler, Chloe Grace Moretz and Corey Stoll.
The strike is currently in its second week after SAG-AFTRA, which represents around 160,000 members across the US, failed to agree new contracts with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), joining striking members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA), which began industrial action on May 2.
Both the actors’ and writers’ unions are fighting for better compensation and assurances that they will not lose work to artificial intelligence (AI), among other demands.
As far as the eye could see...we took over Times Square today..showed our union cards and our #solidarity! No retreat, baby, no surrender! #SAGAFTRAstrong
— SAG-AFTRA (@sagaftra) July 25, 2023
📸Thanks to @RWDSU for some great pix! pic.twitter.com/W0thx0g9m5
Hours before the strike action was ordered on July 14, Disney boss Bob Iger said the decision by both unions was “very disturbing to me”, which prompted backlash.
Now hitting back at his remarks, Cranston, who has won six Emmy awards, took to the The Rock The City For A Fair Contract rally stage and implored Iger to “look at things through a different lens”.
The 67-year-old, who was the final speaker on stage, said: “Putting forth 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.
“We’ve got a message for Mr Iger: 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. We will win this fight.”
Last week Mr Iger said the strikes were causing further issues for the industry after the Covid-19 pandemic, claiming it was the “worst time” to go on strike.
He argued the industry had “negotiated a very good deal with the director’s guild that reflects the value that the directors contribute to this great business” and wanted to “do the same thing with the actors”.
The Disney chief executive said the “level of expectation that they have… is just not realistic.”
The #solidarity is amazing out here in Times Square! The talent on our stage today is amazing! Let's fight together because together we will win this battle! Watch our #SAGAFTRAstrike rally rocking Times Square on Insta Live or here 👇👇👇https://t.co/GkVKImeUBo pic.twitter.com/bZnj9pN6XP
— SAG-AFTRA (@sagaftra) July 25, 2023
The Standard has contacted Bob Iger’s rep for comment.
Hollywood star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson made a historic seven-figure donation to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Relief Fund for actors who face “financial ruin” during the actors’ strike, according to US outlet Variety.
The rally came days after actors including Succession’s Brian Cox and Lord Of The Rings star Andy Serkis protested with British union Equity in Leicester Square in solidarity with the striking US actors.
Rob Delaney, Simon Pegg, Jim Carter, Hayley Atwell, Jim Carter and Imelda Staunton were also among the famous faces who gathered in central London a week after the start of major industrial action by SAG-AFTRA, Equity’s sister union in America.
The strike has brought many productions across the entertainment industry to a halt, with film premieres and associated events also affected.
On Tuesday, the European premiere of Disney’s fantasy comedy Haunted Mansion at Cineworld Leicester Square in London went ahead without its cast in attendance.
