Colin Farrell campaigns for writers' fair pay at WGA strike in New York

Colin Farrell was seen voicing support for the Writer's Guild of America on the picket line yesterday. The WGA have been on strike for three weeks, since negotiations about fairer pay broke down between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).

The AMPTP is comprised of Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Discovery-Warner, NBC Universal, Paramount and Sony.

Colin Farrell, who has starred in movies such as The Banshees of Inisherin and The Batman, said "Writers are everything to us. It's unfair what's happening. The majority of writers are not able to make a living...to provide for their families."

Colin Farrell speaks on the picket line for the WGA strike.

“It's a testament to the arrogance of those at the top that these people are now out of work because they are doing the right thing.” pic.twitter.com/oMLfmRtIPS

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) May 25, 2023

The Oscar nominee blamed those in charge of the big media corporations, who despite continuing profits, refuse to give writers a fair share. Farrell continued: "Profit is taking place, and its about fair compensatory measures, and a share of the profits for writers.

"It's a testament to the arrogance of those at the top, that these people are now out of work. It needs to happen, it needs to happen now."

Since negotiations broke down at the beginning of this month, many TV shows have been affected by staff strikes. Shows such as House Of The Dragon and Stranger Things, as well as several late night talk shows have all been affected.

In an announcement released on the 1st of May, the WGA described what it called an "existential crisis writers are facing" as a result of insufficient pay.

The WGA has said companies that are part of the AMPTP have "broken this business", and "have taken so much from the very people, the writers, who have made them wealthy."

The WGA represents over 11,500 writers. The last WGA strike took place more than 15 years ago, and lasted 100 days.