(New York) Several American film and television stars, such as the star of breaking Bad Bryan Cranston took the microphone Tuesday to defend striking Hollywood actors at a rally in Times Square, New York.
“We will not accept our jobs being taken away and given to robots,” said Bryan Cranston, speaking of his fears of artificial intelligence in front of a dense crowd of strikers and supporters gathered in this square in the heart of the Broadway theater district.
Wearing a flocked SAG-AFTRA actors union t-shirt with a raised fist, he sent a message to Disney boss Bob Iger, target of the movement: “We will not accept that you deprive us of our right to work and earn a decent living.
“Lastly and above all, we will not let you take our dignity,” concluded the man who plays the character of Walter White in breaking Badthe series that marked the history of television broadcasts.
PHOTO CHARLES SYKES, INVISION PROVIDED BY ASSOCIATED PRESS
In the middle of the giant screens of Times Square – so often the support of promotions for new productions on streaming platforms – F. Murray Abraham, known for his roles in Amadeus (Oscar for best actor in 1984) or the series Homeland And The White Lotusfor his part took up the defense of trade unionism, “good for America”.
Other stars were present, such as Christine Baranski, Chloë Grace Moretz, Steve Buscemi, Brendan Fraser, Christian Slater, or Jessica Chastain, who was indignant, on July 18 on Twitter renamed X, that “87% of SAG-AFTRA union members earn less than $26,000 a year” and are not eligible for health insurance.
“Where the fuck is my money! “, launched, Liza Colon-Zayas, known for her role in the series The Bear. Last week, the star of Ted LassoJason Sudeikis, had also appeared on a picket line.
The actors have joined the screenwriters already on strike since July 14, after the failure of negotiations with the studios on their salaries and guarantees against artificial intelligence. According to them, it threatens their future, in particular generative AI, which makes it possible to easily create very realistic synthetic voices and images. This double social movement has been unheard of for more than 60 years in Hollywood.
The guidelines of SAG-AFTRA, which represents 160,000 actors, stunt performers, dancers and other professionals on the small and big screen, prohibit all members from filming, but also from promoting their productions, in person or on social networks, seriously disrupting Hollywood.