The Emmys have been colored by the SAG AFTRA strike announced yesterday. The Hollywood Reporter reached out to many of the nominees for comment on the strike.
Bill Hader (Superbad, Trainwreck), lead actor in the show Barry, said, “I just hope that a deal is struck, and we get a fair shake. It is a very important strike. Sometimes people think it’s people being overzealous or whatever, but this is a big one. I’m really proud of everybody [who worked] on the show, especially our writers, and I’m very proud that we have four seasons of a show on [and] we got the best series nomination [every year]. That personally feels really great.”
Theo James (Divergent, Allegiant), a supporting actor in the show White Lotus, believes that the writers need actors behind them. “There needs to be unity and support for the writers,” he said. “Everything we do as actors begins with the written word, and if there’s not parity in that sense, then we won’t be doing what we’re doing. We need to support that as much as possible. And then in terms of the AI of it [all] — because it’s hard to imagine now, but it’s going to change very quickly — I understand and support that there needs to be language in there for the writers that they’re going to be protected from [AI influence]. Not literally writing scripts but there needs to be an element of protection.”
Diego Luna (Narcos: Mexico, The Book Of Life), executive producer and star of Andor, said, “I just really hope that things get better and that things get solved soon and that we have a healthy environment for everyone, not just actors, but everyone working in this industry. I am worried for what’s to come, but [I’m] supporting the strike and supporting the union. I think it’s quite remarkable what we’ve seen with the writers and what’s happening today with SAG. We live in a world that’s polarized, where there doesn’t seem to be any agreement. It gives me hope to see people uniting, you know? People uniting and understanding the strength of numbers and fighting as one, is an important reminder today of what we as citizens of this world need to be doing: working together and finding solutions to bring them because they’re needed. I just really hope this brings out the best of everyone and that soon we can all be back working and in a much more fair and just scenario for everyone.”
Read the full interview here