Bryan Cranston had an unequivocal message for disney CEO Bob Iger At SAG AFTRA strike rally at New York City Tuesday (July 25).
The strike is now in its second week after the 160,000-strong actors union voted to join striking Hollywood writers fighting for better pay and assurances that they won’t lose work to artificial intelligence (AI), among other demands.
A few hours before the July 14 strike order, Iger said the decision by the actors and writers unions was “very disturbing to me.” causing a backlash.
“We have a message for Mr. Iger,” Cranston, 67, said from the stage at the “Rock the City for a Fair Contract” rally.
“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 that we will not have our jobs taken away from us and given to robots, ”said the breaking Bad star continued.
“We will not let you deprive us of our right to work and earn a decent living. And finally, and most importantly, we will not allow you to deprive us of our dignity! We are a union from start to finish, until the end!
Cranston’s speech drew huge cheers from the rally as he shouted, “Stay together!” We will win this fight!”
According Varietyother actors to speak on stage at the rally included Steve Buscemi, Wendell Pierce, Christian Slater, Christine Baranski, Stephen Lang and Tituss Burgess.
Michael Shannon, BD Wong, Brendan Fraser, Jessica Chastain, Matt Bomer, Chloë Grace Moretz and Corey Stoll were also on stage.
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During his July 13 appearance on CNBC scream box, Iger said it was “the worst time” for a combined strike.
The 72-year-old Disney chief said: “We have been able, as an industry, to negotiate a very good agreement with the Directors Guild which reflects the value directors bring to this great company.
“We wanted to do the same with the writers, and we would like to do the same with the actors. There’s a level of expectation they have that just isn’t realistic.
“And they add to the set of challenges that this business is already facing that are, quite frankly, very disruptive.”
In response to Iger’s interview, She-Hulk writer Cody Ziglar tweeted: “The residual check from my episode of She-Hulk: Lawyer was $396.
“It was one of the most-watched TV episodes, of one of the most-watched TV series on Disney+. Even made several ‘best episodes of 2022’ lists. My residual check was $396. That’s why we’re on strike.
According to a 2019 Forbes estimate, Iger has a net worth of around $690m (£536m).
Zack Arnold, Editor-in-Chief and Associate Producer of Netflix Cobra Kai, said The Independent that the strike was caused by a “perfect storm” the dominance of streaming, which has led to the erosion of residual earnings, and the advent of AI in the industry.
