It’s Day 5 of the SAG-AFTRA strike and Day 79 of the WGA strike.
Rachel McAdams, The Simpsons’ James L. Brooks, Succession duo Alan Ruck and Justine Lupe, Jaleel White, who played Steve Urkel, and spiritual advisor/Presidential Candidate Marianne Williamson were some of the broad range of people out on the picket lines across LA.
This comes after the east coast represented the striking actors and writers with the likes of Bette Midler and Kevin Bacon.
Mean Girls star Rachel McAdams, who recently starred in FXX comedy Dave, was walking the picket line outside of Netflix. She told Deadline, “I’m out here to support the unions. I think what they’re asking for is totally within reason.”
It was Bridgerton day outside the streamer with Lady Whistledown inviting picketers to spill the tea while wearing their Regency best.
This is what might have drawn Marianne Williamson to the streamer. Is she a big fan of the Chris Van Dusen-created period drama?
Fame and Grey’s Anatomy star Debbie Allen joined the Medical Medical Picket, featuring cast, writers and crew from medical procedurals, at Disney. She said she was striking for a variety of reasons, including AI protections and health insurance.
“Things change, innovation happens, we have to keep moving with the times and our union is guiding us in a way that I think is correct and we need to stand up for everyone. Not just for our individual selves, but for everyone,” she told Deadline. “We know studios have their agenda and God bless them and I think they’re good people but right now this is a real situation that needs to change.”
Mira Sorvino was also outside Warner Bros. Discovery as were Ruck and Lupe, who played Connor Roy and Willa in the hit HBO drama series. The Flash studio was the site of a Shining Vale picket, with creators Sharon Horgan and Jeff Astrof providing Recess Ice Cream Sandwiches for strikers.
At Fox, James L. Brooks, one of the men behind The Simpsons and the creator of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, was walking the picket with Forrest Gump screenwriter Eric Roth.
The pair believe that the strike was “avoidable” “If the other side was reasonable at all, I think it was utterly avoidable – and maybe even more so for SAG. So here we are,” Brooks told Deadline. Roth added, “Avoidable, but I think there needed to be, somehow, somebody who’s reasonable. I think we tried to be reasonable.”
Brooks took particular issue with writer room sizes and AI. He added that making a sustainable living in the entertainment business was “difficult”.
Roth added, “That’s the bottom line … for all of America. I’m not trying to be political here, but this has started to articulate what people are feeling about some of the inequities in all sorts of professions.”
Paramount Pictures was the scene of a karaoke jam this morning, ranging from Rage Against The Machine attempts to a rousing Bon Jovi singalong.
Kumail Nanjiani, and Emily V. Gordon, who wrote The Big Sick together, were picketing over the sounds of Livin’ On A Prayer.
“We’ve got to support our writers and we’ve got to support our actors. We’re all in this together,” said Gordon.
Nanjiani, who recently starred in Hulu’s Welcome To Chippendales, added, “I’m striking because writers and actors are the reason this whole industry exists and we need to be taken care of. I love this too much not to see it through. I’m very proud of our unions standing up for us and giving me the opportunity to stand with them.”
Jaleel White, best known for playing Steve Urkel in Family Matters, was also outside Paramount with comedian Joseph Vecsey, who starred in and co-produced Adam Sandler film Hustle.
“The first way to create change is to care to make change,” said White. “I don’t see much empathy from the people that we work for.”