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Adam Driver had some sharp words for Amazon and Netflix amid ongoing strikes by Hollywood actors and writers.
Driver, the aptly named star of the upcoming “Ferrari” biopic, spoke out against the companies Thursday while promoting his film at Italy’s Venice Film Festival.
Actors are typically not allowed to promote movies from major studios while their union, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, is on strike. But “Ferrari” will be released by two groups, Neon and STX, that are not targeted by the labor action, according to The New York Times.
At the festival, Driver said he was “proud” to attend as a “visual representation of a movie that’s not part of the AMPTP” — a reference to the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, a trade association for studios.
Rocco Spaziani/Archivio Spaziani/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)
He praised SAG-AFTRA’s carve-out for striking actors to work on independent movies if studios abide by an interim agreement to meet union terms. Driver also issued a pointed question comparing how smaller and larger companies have responded to union concerns.
“Why is it that a smaller distribution company like Neon and STX International can meet the dream demands of what SAG is asking for … but a big company like Netflix and Amazon can’t?” he said.
SAG-AFTRA — which represents not only big stars like Driver but thousands of lesser-known working actors, stunt performers, announcers and others — began striking in mid-July for improved pay and working conditions, particularly in relation to streaming services. Performers receive payments known as residuals when a show or movie is re-aired on TV, but they currently get a much lower rate when their work is shown by streamers like Netflix.
The union is worried about the use of artificial intelligence as well. It is seeking to ensure that actors will be paid fairly if their work is used to train AI, and that performers have control over their own likenesses.
In early May, Writers Guild of America members started striking over similar concerns. (WGA East also represents HuffPost’s unionized employees.)
“Ferrari,” which follows the life of race car driver and mogul Enzo Ferrari, is slated for a Dec. 25 release.