Cast members from the popular show Breaking Bad and its just as successful spinoff Better Call Saul met on the picket line Tuesday to support their fellow striking writers and performers. Among the striking actors were Bryan Cranston (Malcom in the Middle) who played Walter White on Breaking Bad and Aaron Paul (BoJack Horseman) who played Jesse Pinkman. Out of many locations available for the cast to pick to strike at, the Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul crew made their way to Sony Pictures Studios, as this studio owns the franchise. Via The Hollywood Reporter, Cranston publicly spoke to a crowd outside the studio saying, “We’re here in solidarity with all of our brothers and sisters who are affected by this, and the WGA and SAG… We are all the backbone of our business.”
Cranston additionally stated that he does not see the studios as the enemy or villain, but rather a group of people they will one day work with again once an agreement is made. The Breaking Bad star told The Hollywood Reporter he wants an “equitable contract”, which would allow workers in the industry to make a living wage so they can pay bills, buy food for their families, and pay their rent. Topics such as paying writers and actors fairly, health care coverage, and increased residuals are what the WGA and SAG-AFTRA are fighting for, but Crantson believes the use of artificial intelligence is a key factor worth negotiating against.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cranston states, “This contract will have a sentence in there that states, ‘Actors must be human beings.’ This is mind-boggling, but that’s what it will say, and the same thing with the Writers Guild contract: ‘Must be written by a human being…” Jesse Plemons (Love & Death) who played Todd on Breaking Bad was in attendance at Sony Pictures on Tuesday and in addition to being protected from AI, he believes residuals for writers and performers was an important topic as this is how workers in the industry survive when they’re not working.
The WGA is reaching the 120 day mark on strike, while SAG-AFTRA is over 45 days on the picket lines.