WGA Strike Picket Lines Day 17: Sudiekis, Gershon, LaGravenese, Flavor Flav, More
Picketers gathered outside Warner Bros. in Burbank today found themselves buoyed by a unique presence: Flavor Flav. The hip-hop icon-turned-reality star showed up to cheers from the assembled WGA supporters.
Dressed in a festive yellow-and-blue track suit and wearing a demure (for him) red clock around his neck, the Public Enemy also brought a boombox and blasted the group’s classic “Fight the Power.”
Possibly even better, Flav brought a lot of food.
“A true spread of burgers and pizzas at Warner Bros courtesy of Flava Flav!” wrote Abbott Elementary writer-producer Brittani Nichols on Twitter above a photo of the rapper delivering at least a dozen boxes of grub.
A true spread of burgers and pizzas at Warner Bros courtesy of Flava Flav! Please come picket and eat! #WGAstrong pic.twitter.com/V1pJZ4raIr — Brittani Nichols *Strike Version* (@BisHilarious) May 18, 2023
Flavor Flav just arrived at WB #WGAstrong pic.twitter.com/EppH32HLVa — fran (in my STRIKE ERA) (@iamfrancabrera) May 18, 2023
Flav later met up with Ted Lasso star Jason Sudiekis, who was himself picketing outside the Burbank lot. The duo exchanged a hand slap, hug and a “Nice to meet you.”
📹I jason sudeikis with flava flav at the writers strike picket line todaypic.twitter.com/wbRpsszyMv — Jason Sudeikis Updates (@SudeikisNews) May 18, 2023
Over at Fox in Century City, writer Richard LaGravenese and actress Gina Gershon marched together. Gershon told Deadline she’d been on a couple of picket lines in New York, where she lives, and the scene there is much more lively because it’s concentrated, not spread out among so many studios, like in L.A.
In terms of solidarity, the actress said, “I kind of wish we were all striking at the same time.”
She soon might get her wish.
“That would end this much quicker,” replied LaGravenese.
RELATED: WGA Strike Photos: Stars, Writers, Showrunners & Their Supporters On The Picket Line
Asked about SAG leadership asking for a strike authorization vote, Gershon replied: “Yeah, we have to strike. … Everyone’s asking for the same thing, eventually. … It’s a different paradigm. People need to be compensated here. It’s nothing outrageous here. It’s fair.”
Watch the whole interview below.
WHY WE’RE STRIKING: “It could be the end of careers if studios start using AI… ” – screenwriter Richard LaGravenese and actress Gina Gershon tell Deadline outside of Fox Studios in LA today #WritersStrike pic.twitter.com/TtpTH2XGeo — Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) May 18, 2023
Back in Burbank, a big crowd turned out at Disney, and it’s no wonder. The event included a Newsies singalong, complete with sheet music for those who didn’t know the words. Videos below.
Outside Disney’s Burbank lot today (Matt Grobar/Deadline)
A ‘Newsies’ singalong outside of Disney Studios in LA today #WritersStrike pic.twitter.com/Ku2IMZfbv6 — Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) May 18, 2023
The singalong continues outside of Disney Studios in LA with ‘Newsie’s “Seize the Day” #WritersStrike pic.twitter.com/Vv07SCuEOx — Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) May 18, 2023
In New York, WGA members and their supporters turned out outside MoffettNathanson’s Inaugural Technology, Media & Telecom Conference, where Warner Bros. Discovery President and CEO David Zaslav was presenting.
RELATED: David Zaslav Suggests Rival Streamers Should Bundle Together: If We Don’t Do It Ourselves “It Will Be Done To Us”
Oddly (or some might say symbolically), the building across from the Westin was on fire, and there was a huge fire department presence. Picket lines were on both sides of the street for an hour or so, with about 40 people marching directly in front of the Westin and 100 across the street.
The crowd’s favorite chants? “Hey hey/ho ho/corporate greed has got to go,” and “If we don’t get contracts, SHUT IT DOWN.”
New York comptroller Brad Lander showed up briefly to talk about the strike.
“It takes human creativity to fuel this business,” he said. “That creativity has fueled the New York economy.”
On the scene in New York City today outside of the SVB MoffetNathanson Conference where David Zaslav is speaking today #WritersStrike pic.twitter.com/0AmhMX0B6P — Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) May 18, 2023
Two of those in attendance were SAG member Zoe Kazan and her mother, WGA West member Robin Swicord. Actress Samantha Mathis also was there.
Some of the more striking signs seen by Deadline read, “Is This 1984?!” and “Robots are Scabs.”
Asked why the strike was important to her, Kazan replied: “Writers are the backbone of our industry and it’s one of the things I love about the film industry. It’s a collaborative medium and everybody on a film set is important. The collective makes a movie or a television show happen and we’re here to protect our future.”
"Writers are the backbone of our industry… we're really here to protect our future," Zoe Kazan told Deadline in New York City today with her mom, Robin Swicord, and her baby on the picket line #WritersStrike pic.twitter.com/o5BF69MZ3F — Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) May 18, 2023
Swicord observed: “The way they’ve got it set up now, they’re taking advantage of every possible loophole that can exist in a contract so that the next generation of showrunners, writers, writers assistants and so on are being robbed of their future. It’s essential that we get a contract that allows us to make a living. They used to go make a living as a future Especially through residuals — which we’re being robbed of.”
Asked to reply to the assertion that the interests of actors are not the same as the interest sof writers, Kazan replied, “We’re all in the same boat as we look towards the future.”
Swicord, who said this is the fifth strike she’s been involved in, observed there was unity among the guilds and unions this time around.
“This time we have the full support of the Teamsters. They will not cross our picket line. In the past, others would walk past us on the way to an interview in the studio. Everyone feels the burn of what’s happening in this industry when few companies, corporations control all the wealth.”
"They've taking advantage of every possible loophole that's in the existing contract so that we don't get to mentor the next generation… robbing the future," Robin Swicord tells Deadline as Zoe Kazan adds, "Whether we know it or not we're all in the same boat" #WritersStrike pic.twitter.com/WtIf1nk9v9 — Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) May 18, 2023
Source: Deadline
