Viola Davis is stepping back from working on her upcoming film G20 in a move to stay in solidarity with the SAG-AFTRA strike. This move is despite the fact that SAG-AFTRA has given G20 a waiver to MRC, the production company behind the film. The film, however, is being distributed by Amazon, which is among the studios actors are striking against.
Davis said in a statement to Deadline, “I love this movie, but I do not feel that it would be appropriate for this production to move forward during the strike. I appreciate that the producers on the project agree with this decision. JuVee Productions and I stand in solidarity with actors, SAG/AFTRA and the WGA.”
Deadline reports that despite G20 getting approval from SGA-AFTRA, sources have said that it isn’t clear if the film would actually continue filming during the strike because of actors’ concerns about what it would look like to others.
SAG-AFTRA has since put out a statement regarding waivers after other actors, including Sarah Silverman, also expressed concern and confusion about working on waived projects amid the strike.
The guild has called interim agreements a “vital part of our strategic approach to these negotiations and to the strike,” adding that the agreements create more pressure on the studios and its organizing body, AMPTP.
“We believe the leverage created by increasing competitive pressure on the AMPTP and denying them what they want most will force them back to the table and help bring this strike to an end,” said SAG-AFTRA according to Deadline. “We understand the concern that our Interim Agreement may produce content for struck companies to distribute. We are confident that the terms of this agreement, particularly the streaming revenue share, will make distribution of these projects through AMPTP platforms unfeasible, until such time as an industrywide agreement has been reached.”
