Thread by @melissaCnavia

Hey Denis! Your comment below is so egregious & insulting to me as a working actor with a lifetime of friends in the film/TV industry that I’m choosing to respond to it in this here thread in case anyone else is as confused as you are about the #WGAstrike. 1/16

https://twitter.com/denis_bash8/status/1660344357059190784

The @WGAEast & @WGAWest are on strike because their future is in jeopardy. Their ability to pay their bills, Denis. To make a living. The AMPTP/studios refused to negotiate with them on key points that would safeguard their rights and acknowledge their undeniable value. 2/16

WGA members overwhelmingly voted to strike if their fair & reasonable requests were not met. And so here we are. Strikes are a last resort—a union’s show of collective strength. They are disruptive because they must be. Which is why WGA writers are asking us to STOP FILMING. 3/16

To be clear, most shows are not filming right now. Most shows, including mine, are on hiatus because without writers you cannot film. Because the story is not finished until filming is finished. But some shows continue to film despite round-the-clock picketing. Why? 4/16

Because studios. Because even though every show filming right now is a slap in the face to all striking writers, studios do not want to stop. They do not want to lose money. (And don’t want to pay writers what they deserve.) So the WGA asks for a show of union solidarity. 5/16

Productions keep getting shut down because cast & crew members are standing in solidarity with the WGA. @sagaftra @IATSE @Teamsters @ActorsEquity etc. They come out to picket if they’re able and if they’re on a production, they choose not to cross picket lines that go up. 6/16

That is awesome. Unions supporting unions for the betterment of all members. Because that is our industry. A well-oiled creative machine that will grind to a halt if any of its integral components are not taken care of as they should be, need to be, and deserve to be. 7/16

The writers are NOT asking cast & crew members who are working on shows that are still in production to not go to work, to risk losing their jobs, or to forgo paychecks. They are asking them to stand with the WGA on picket lines and to respect those lines if & when able. 8/16

But now to the very specific statements and accusations you made, Denis. Yes, I had a guest star role on Billions that I am very proud of and I’m a huge fan of the show, its showrunners, and the entire crew. That in no way should preclude me from standing with the WGA. 9/16

If I see a tweet from a strike captain saying a picket is forming on a weekend and I can help amplify that, then I will. That you accused me of not caring about crew members & how they pay their bills is infuriating, erroneous, and slanderous. You know nothing about me. 10/16

The hardworking, highly skilled artists & craftspeople who make film & TV are truly indispensable and should be compensated as such. WGA members and their union allies are thinking every day of those displaced by this labor action. Because we are fighting FOR each other. 11/16

I am a NYC actor. I have a career because I have spent over a decade working in this city, on shows & films that have been staffed & filmed in our boroughs. Production in our backyards means the world to so many of us. We all want this strike to end and to get back to work. 12/16

The faster productions across the board shut down, the more studios will become uncomfortable financially. That’s the best way to get back to the bargaining table. So to try to shame one actor into shutting up for supporting such an effort is remarkably myopic, Denis. 13/16

It is divisive statements like yours that are a detriment to historic movements. You lay blame at the feet of people & workers showing unprecedented union solidarity and encourage infighting that will accomplish nothing. Try to be more useful. Like by supporting writers. 14/16

The gains the WGA makes in their contract will set a powerful precedent for other unions, like IATSE, who nearly struck in 2021, and SAG-AFTRA, who is in the middle of voting for a strike authorization. The situation is urgent, which is why support has been unprecedented. 15/16

And maybe also never tell a working actor, writer, or crew member ever again that they were “lucky” to be on a show. You make it too obvious that you either don’t know or don’t care about the blood, sweat, and tears that go into this business. #WGAstrong #SAGAFTRAsolidarity 16/16