During a SAG-AFTRA rally on Tuesday in New York City, “Breaking Bad” star Bryan Cranston delivered a passionate speech directed at Disney CEO Bob Iger.
The “Rock the City for a Fair Contract” SAG-AFTRA rally was attended by several well-known performers on Tuesday, who also took the stage demanding rights for industry professionals. However, Cranston seems to have made the biggest splash at the event after aiming his words at the leader of one of the largest media companies in the world: Disney.
For those not familiar, the current SAG-AFTRA strike has been underway in an attempt to push studios to give actors a piece of subscription revenue and to establish guardrails around the use of artificial intelligence, among other demands.
“We’ve got a message for Mr. Iger: I know, sir, that you look through 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 we will not be having our jobs taken away and given to robots. We will not have you take away our right to work and earn a decent living. And lastly, and most importantly, we will not allow you to take away our dignity,” said Cranston.
Iger first spoke on the recent strike a few weeks ago, calling it “disturbing.”
“…We’ve talked about disruptive forces on this business and all the challenges we’re facing, the recovery from COVID which is ongoing, it’s not completely back. This is the worst time in the world to add to that disruption,” Iger said. “I understand any labor organization’s desire to work on behalf of its members to get the most compensation and be compensated fairly based on the value that they deliver. We managed, as an industry, to negotiate a very good deal with the directors guild that reflects the value that the directors contribute to this great business. We wanted to do the same thing with the writers, and we’d like to do the same thing with the actors. There’s a level of expectation that they have, that is just not realistic. And they are adding to the set of the challenges that this business is already facing that is, quite frankly, very disruptive.”
The strike is currently in its second week, causing thousands to halt work. Some members are working under union contracts that are still in effect.
What are your thoughts on Bryan Cranston’s remarks at the SAG-AFTRA rally that were directed at Disney CEO Bob Iger? Let us know in the comments!
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