Bob Iger Publicly Praises Actors, Says Two Sides Are Working Hard to End Strike
The last time that Bob Iger talked to CNBC about the Hollywood strikes, the Disney CEO set off a firestorm that made him the poster boy for the out-of-touch studio heads.
This time around, Iger clearly learned his lesson. When asked about the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, Iger emphasized the importance of actors to The Walt Disney Company. Additionally, the Disney CEO stated that he was optimistic that a deal would be reached soon.


Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
“I have the utmost respect for actors,” Iger said. “I can only say we’re optimistic will figure it out very soon.”
While he did not give any kind of deadline for when a deal could be reached, Iger insisted that all parties were working to solve the deadlock.


Photo: Variety
“We’re all — SAG and companies–hard at work to solve this,” he assured viewers.
A Drastic Change In Tone
Today’s comments were a far cry from his previous statement, where he called actor’s demands “not realistic.”
His comments were quickly jumped upon by SAG-ATRA, who publically denounced the Disney CEO as out of touch.
In recent weeks, however, Iger has been a driving force in bringing the two sides back to the bargaining table. It was Iger who reached out to SAG-AFTRA negotiators to invite them back to negotiate.


Chelsea Guglielmino / FilmMagic
If Bob Iger can go from out-of-touch billionaire to the man who helped settle the strike, it will not only be a feather in the Disney CEO’s cap, but an important boost for Disney.