Fran Drescher Reveals George Clooney's Reaction to SAG-AFTRA Strike Ending
The SAG-AFTRA strike is finally over after 118 days.
Fran Drescher, president of the union, joined Extra‘s Billy Bush on Thursday (November 9) to talk about the strike and Hollywood getting back to work.
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“It was moving all the way through… We had reached a threshold where we crossed the billion-dollar mark and ended at a [$1,011,000,000], which is quite historic in terms of the size of the contract in this industry,” she said.
The writers and directors got a 5% minimum increase, the actors got a 7% minimum increase, and the background people got an 11% minimum increase.
“When it all adds up, it’s quite significant… You know, it wasn’t what we wanted as the performers with the background people got, we didn’t get that, but we were very happy that our lowest-earning members got the most for their minimum salary,” she explained.
“New inroads were carved everywhere. And that’s what this moment was really about. It was essential that artificial intelligence be barricaded, with a lot of protections for the members. And, you know, it was very important that we found a new stream of revenue to try and level the playing field when it comes to compensation for the members that work the streaming channels.”
“We’re already thinking about what we’re going to be working on for the next contract. In a negotiation, you don’t get everything,” she revealed.
She also explained how George Clooney reacted.
“George Clooney said, ‘I would have bet my house and lost that you couldn’t get the deal that you got, that you wouldn’t have gotten past a billion dollars.’ And that just made me so happy,” she said.
Tyler Perry also told her “I’m so, so proud of you.”
She went on to same some other celebs who gave her support./
“Kerry Washington was so wonderful and brilliant and smart to talk to… Bradley Cooper…he said to me that many, many years ago, when I was still on ‘The Nanny’ and he was working at a hotel… and he maybe brought my bags up to my room with me and we talked the whole way up and he said, ‘I never, ever forgot how kind you were, how much you made me feel seen, and how you talked to me like I was an equal, and I’ll never forget that, and I’m just glad I had the opportunity to thank you now.’”