Bryan Cranston Blasts Bob Iger at SAG-AFTRA Rally
When Bob Iger returned to The Walt Disney Company last November, investors and stakeholders alike breathed a sigh of relief.
Following the Bob Chapek era, which saw Disney publically battling with Black Widow star Scarlet Johansson and the company enter the middle of the culture war with its response (or initial lack thereof) to Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law, the company needed stability.


Photo: CNBC
Iger, while perhaps not the most creative CEO, was known for his grace under pressure, good business sense, and propensity to always say the right thing.
Eight months into the Disney CEO’s return, however, things haven’t gone as planned. Disney still finds itself at odds with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and now, Iger has found himself in hot water for his comments on the SAG-AFTRA strike.


Bob Iger
An Unforced Error
Two weeks ago, in an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Iger called Hollywood actors and writers out for being not “realistic” with their expectations for a new collective bargaining agreement.
“It’s very disturbing to me. We’ve talked about disruptive forces in this business and all the challenges we’re facing. The recovery from COVID which is ongoing, it’s not completely back. This is the worst time in the world to add to that disruption,” Iger said.


Photo: Getty Images
“I understand any labor organization’s desire to work on behalf of its members to get the most compensation and be compensated fairly based on the value that they deliver. We managed, as an industry, to negotiate a very good deal with the directors guild that reflects the value that the directors contribute to this great business. We wanted to do the same thing with the writers. And we’d like to do the same thing with the actors. There’s a level of expectation that they have, that is just not realistic. And they are adding to the set of the challenges that this business is already facing that is, quite frankly, very disruptive.”


Photo: Variety
All of a sudden the media members who had cheered Iger for taking potshots at Ron DeSantis changed their tune. Iger became the symbol of the out-of-touch CEO millionaires who want to oppress the Hollywood little guy.
Bryan Cranston Calls Iger Out
In a fiery speech at a SAG-AFTRA strike rally in Times Square on Thursday, actor Bryan Cranston (himself worth $40 million) gave a fiery speech directed at Iger. Speaking perhaps on behalf of his less famous brethren, Cranston said:


Photo: Variety
“We’ve got a message for Mr. Iger,” Cranston said from the stage of the “Rock the City for a Fair Contract” rally. “I know, sir, that you look [at] things through a different lens. We don’t expect you to understand who we are. But we ask you to hear us, and beyond that to listen to us when we tell you we will not be having our jobs taken away and given to robots. We will not have you take away our right to work and earn a decent living. And lastly, and most importantly, we will not allow you to take away our dignity! We are union through and through, all the way to the end!”
Earlier in his speech, Cranston noted that while the landscape of Hollywood has drastically changed over the last ten years, studios have not adapted to the industry’s economic system.


Photo: NBS News
“We are not in the same business model we were even 10 years ago,” he said. “And yet, even though they admit that is the truth in today’s economy, they are fighting us tooth and nail to stick to the same economic system that is outmoded, outdated! They want us to step back in time. We cannot and we will not do that.”
How Long Will Hollywood Be Shut Down?
With issues such as AI, streaming, and residuals all dividing studios from both actors and writers, it seems as if Hollywood will shut down for a long time.


Photo: Cincinnati Enquirer
Right now, studios still have new content to release. That will change soon, however, and that’s when the pressure will really begin to build.
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