Bob Odenkirk Has Blunt Response For Actors That Want To Promote Their Films During The SAG-AFTRA Strike

Bob Odenkirk Has Blunt Response For Actors That Want To Promote Their Films During The SAG-AFTRA Strike

Bob Odenkirk's tough words come amid reports that actor Tom Cruise was seeking an exception to keep promoting Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One while the SAG-AFTRA strike remains ongoing.

By MarkJulian - Jul 20, 2023 08:07 PM EST
Filed Under: Action
Source: The Wrap

Emmy-nominated actor Bob Odenkirk (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul) was recently on the picket lines outside Paramount earlier this week and was asked to share his thoughts on actors that want an exemption from the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) to keep promoting their films while the strike remains ongoing.

"Don’t. It’s a strike. Be on strike. You lose. We lose. Everybody loses. That’s tough s–t.

Currently, SAG-AFTRA is only granting exemptions to indie film projects that have no ties to the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).

The news comes amid reports that Tom Cruise requested an exemption from SAG-AFTRA to continue promoting Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. His argument was that movie theaters are in dire financial straits and actors need to help theaters sell tickets.  His argument was reportedly, not well-received. 

Actor Ike Barinholtz (Suicide Squad, The Mindy Project) also added, “Yeah, we all are in this together and if some of us are starting new projects and promoting others, that’s gonna cause dissension. We need the opposite. We need solidarity.

Sometimes you have to do the hard thing,” Odenkirk concluded.

Under current SAG-AFTRA strike guidelines, actors are not allowed to attend conventions, conduct interviews, or promote any AMPTP project on social media.

TERRIFIER 3: Art The Clown Returns For Festive Frights In Gory New Trailer
Related:

TERRIFIER 3: Art The Clown Returns For Festive Frights In Gory New Trailer

GLADIATOR II: Paul Mescal Squares Off With Pedro Pascal & Denzel Washington In Epic First Trailer
Recommended For You:

GLADIATOR II: Paul Mescal Squares Off With Pedro Pascal & Denzel Washington In Epic First Trailer

DISCLAIMER: ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and... [MORE]

ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

1 2
CoHost
CoHost - 7/20/2023, 8:15 PM
Shame he's gonna lose to Jeremy Strong this year.
RandyOrtonLF
RandyOrtonLF - 7/21/2023, 3:13 AM
@CoHost - Kieran deserves it this year. An unreal range in performance from him in season 4.
TheHumanSpider2
TheHumanSpider2 - 7/20/2023, 8:28 PM
I legit dont know how his career didnt EXPLODE in the past decade, the only thing he did was Nobody...
Spidey91
Spidey91 - 7/20/2023, 8:30 PM
How difficult is for these billion dollar companies and their hundred millions per month CEOs to pay their workers a little more? Oh right, because then they wouldn't have all of the money for themselves. F*cking leeches. Whoever tells you the rich are the ones that generate wealth is seeling you rotten fish.
TyrantBossMedia
TyrantBossMedia - 7/20/2023, 8:47 PM
If the unions actually did their jobs they wouldn't have to resort to strikes, but that's what unions really want to do.

They want to force members to pay their dues, then line their pockets with those dues and live high on the hog while the struggling actors and writers lose their way of life.
And the wealthy millionaire actors can afford to pay their bills and live just fine because the strike won't hurt them.

It's very easy for Odenkirk to pontificate to the masses when he can do it behind the walls of his mansion along with the other rich actors.
They don't have to sweat it, neither do the billionaire studio heads.

But those who need the job to live day-to-day are out of luck: Make up artists, lighting crew, stunt men, graphic artists, set decorators, PAs, limo service, caterers, hotels, valets, maintenance, janitorial, sanitation. They all lose the necessary money all because the unions don't do their job they way they are supposed to.

McMurdo
McMurdo - 7/20/2023, 11:35 PM
@TyrantBossMedia - I'm pro strike so plz no one cancel me.....but Odenkirk loses nothing whether people promote their shit or not. He's rich as [frick]. And he will always be rich as [frick].
Origame
Origame - 7/21/2023, 5:48 AM
@McMurdo - exactly. Not to mention cruise was specifically talking about promoting already made films for the sake of the movie theaters. Movie theaters being something necessary for the whole industry and have been struggling since covid.
Spagett
Spagett - 7/20/2023, 8:47 PM
Hey, It's Griggs from Suicide Squad 2016!
EnergyVamp
EnergyVamp - 7/20/2023, 9:01 PM
Actors will get their deal but writers will probably get held out on for awhile.
I hope that the length of this strike makes the current crop of poop writers leave the field for the bonafide people who can write good movies without inserting annoying agendas in mediocre product.

I dont mind "woke" stuff in movies, just be good for God's sake. Across the Spiderverse was a good example, live-action adaptations of Disney cartoons are preachy lessons of below average crap.
EskimoJ
EskimoJ - 7/20/2023, 10:25 PM
@SafeSpace - Agendas are either annoying or they aren't.

If you don't mind them so long as they're in a good movie, then it doesn't really sound like the agenda is what bothers you, just the quality of the film -- pretty basic tenet.

If that's ultimately what it boils down to, then mentioning the perceived agenda (real or imagined) is pointless.
Origame
Origame - 7/21/2023, 11:04 AM
@EskimoJ - not really, no. For example, I agree that gay people and people of color should be respected. However, if a movie is little more than a mouthpiece for the idea that gay people and people of color should be respected, with no nuance, then it's not entertaining to me. In this case because I already agree with it. And since it's an agenda, the movie isn't gonna be anything else more than that.

Take the dark knight for an example. It's about the bush administration and their handling of the terrorist attacks. However, I wouldn't call this agenda pushing because A) none of the characters are behaving out of character to make the point, B) you can watch the movie and enjoy it without noticing this, and C) the film is critical of the choices being made, ultimately finding what the Bush administration did to be flawed but still the best they could come up with in a difficult situation. Meaning neither side is blatantly being told they're wrong about their beliefs and allowing the audience to think beyond the film.
AnthonyVonGeek
AnthonyVonGeek - 7/20/2023, 9:04 PM
So he won’t memorize a line unless it’s written by human, but he didn’t say he wouldn’t read off a card or a monitor if it’s written by AI. 🤷‍♂️🤣

GhostDog
GhostDog - 7/20/2023, 9:13 PM
Saul to Tom cruise
1 2
View Recorder