Will Smith Supports Strike: ‘A Hinge Moment in Hollywood’
The actor took the opportunity to pay tribute to his “mentor”.
Persona non grata in Hollywood for a year and his legendary slap in the face of Chris Rock during the Oscars, Will Smith spoke out this week in support of the actors’ and screenwriters’ strike.
For many weeks, the WGA and SAG-AFTRA unions have walked out to put pressure on the studios, while negotiations for a new salary grid have failed.
On social networks, Will Smith supports the movement and explains why the strike is so important. Not always the most committed of actors, the star often stays away from politics, but he posted this photo yesterday outside the Screen Acting Studio in Los Angeles, calling this strike a “turning point” in industry.
“I want to talk about acting for a second. As some of you may have heard, my guild, (SAG-AFTRA) is on strike with our fellow WGA writers. This is a moment 33 years into my acting career and there are still days when I feel like that kid from Philadelphia who’s on borrowed time, even though I know I’ve been extraordinarily blessed and lucky to have worked as an actor all this time.”
Will Smith then thanks his former theater teacher, the one he calls his “mentor”, Aaron Speiser and salutes his work with the young generation of actors!