Hollywood star Adam Driver has publicly slammed streaming video giants Netflix and Amazon for refusing to meet the demands of striking actors — while praising the independent backers of his new movie Ferrari, acclaimed director Michael Mann’s first film in nearly a decade.
Driver appeared at the Venice Film Festival in Italy on Thursday for the movie’s world premiere.
“Why is it that a smaller distribution company like Neon and STX International can meet the dream demands of what SAG is asking for — this is pre-negotiations — the dream version of SAG’s wishlist, but a big company like Netflix and Amazon can’t?” Driver said at a press conference.
“And every time people from SAG go and support a movie that has agreed to the terms of the interim agreement, it just makes it more obvious that these people are willing to support the people that they collaborate with.”
Adam Driver says he’s “proud” to be at #Venezia80 to represent a film that is not part of the AMPTP as the #SagAftraStrike pushes on. pic.twitter.com/PHCMdFi3a4
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) August 31, 2023
Driver was able to attend the festival to promote Ferrari because the independently produced and distributed movie received a special waiver from SAG-AFTRA.
Neither Neon nor STX International is part of the Hollywood body known as the “AMPTP,” which represents the major studios or streamers at the bargaining table.
Ferrari, which follows a year in the life of auto tycoon Enzo Ferrari (played by Driver), is set to open in the U.S. in December.
Hollywood actors are nearing the second month of their strike, which has brought TV and movie production to a historic halt around the country. Meanwhile, Hollywood writers are approaching their fifth month of striking — the longest writers’ strike in decades.
Both actors and writers are accusing the major studios and streamers of failing to fairly compensate them for the work they do that appears on streaming services. They are also worried that they will be replaced by artificial intelligence technology.
Negotiations took a turn for the worst last week when writers accused the AMPTP of bamboozling them by publicizing the studios’ latest offer. Writers claimed the move was an attempt to get them to cave to their demands.
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