Viola Davis stands in solidarity with the actors.
The actress publicly stepped away from her upcoming project, G20, despite SAG-AFTRA providing the film with a waiver that allowed it to start production amid the actors strike.
“I love this movie, but I do not feel that it would be appropriate for this production to move forward during the strike,” Davis said in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. “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.”
The Oscar winner’s decision comes one day after the performers union noted that the project could begin filming — despite the involvement of Amazon Studios — because it hails from the non-AMPTP-affiliated studio MRC and is only being distributed by Amazon.
G20 joins a long list of TV shows and movies that have been granted waivers amid the actors strike to continue or begin production under different interim agreements and designations with independent productions.
Davis’ step back from the film follows comments made by comedian and actress Sarah Silverman about the projects that have been allowed to move forward.
“I feel fucking pissed off, and I know I just must not be understanding something,” Silverman said in a video posted to her Instagram on Thursday. “Movie stars are making movies because they’re independent movies, and SAG is allowing it because if they do sell it to streaming, it has to be because streaming is abiding by all the things we’re asking for. That’s just working. The strike ends when they come to the table, and we make a deal in agreement.”
She continued by explaining that when actors joined the strike, she believed it would force studios and streamers to act faster to reach a deal because they couldn’t work at all. Now that some actors are being allowed to star in TV shows and movies, she thinks it’s going to prolong the strike.
Silverman also noted that she doesn’t know whether she should be “mad” at SAG for allowing interim deals for certain indie projects or “at these movie stars making these indie movies that are obviously going to go to streaming.”
“It’s scabbing, you’ve made that so clear that it’s scabbing,” she concluded. “Now, all of a sudden, movie stars can make movies if they’re indie movies where they promise they’ll only sell it if X, Y and Z. That’s called the end of the strike, motherfuckers!”
