Double strike in Hollywood
Richard Gere shows his solidarity
Richard Gere demonstrates.
© imago/ZUMA Wire
Richard Gere shows his solidarity with the strikers. Meanwhile, negotiations in Hollywood continue.
The next big star is showing solidarity with the strike by American actors and writers. Richard Gere (73) is According to media reports in New York, he took to the streets with his colleagues from the actors’ union SAG-AFTRA. The ‘Pretty Woman’ actor was part of a group that demonstrated outside the Warner Bros. production company building. Gere came to the demo casually in jeans and a plain blue T-shirt.
Richard Gere carried a sign that read “Writers Guild of America East Stands With SAG-AFTRA”. In German something like “East America Writers’ Union supports SAG-AFTRA”. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has been on strike since May for better conditions from studios and streaming services. In July, the representation of the actors followed. It’s the first double strike in Hollywood in over 60 years.
Richard Gere is not the first solidary top star
Richard Gere is not the first top star to show solidarity with his lower-earning colleagues. Jane Fonda (85), “Ted Lasso” star Jason Sudeikis (47) and Kevin Bacon (65) have already taken to the streets. “Breaking Bad” star Bryan Cranston (67) gave a fiery speech at a rally in New York. Other stars such as Dwayne Johnson (51), George Clooney (62) and Meryl Streep (74) have supported the union with donations running into the millions.
Again negotiations between authors and production companies
The negotiations between the WGA and the producer association AMPTP are meanwhile moving again. According to US media, the two parties will sit down again at the negotiating table this Friday (August 11). It would be only the second meeting since the strike began more than 100 days ago. After the negotiations on August 4, the fronts had hardened even more. Details about the upcoming talks are not yet available.