SAG-AFTRA Strike: Bryan Cranston Calls For Disney's Bob Iger To Listen To AI Fears

Bryan Cranston — the man behind one of television's most dangerous men, Walter White — has a message for Disney CEO Bob Iger as the Screen Actors Guild continues their ongoing strike alongside the Writers Guild of America.

During a New York SAG-AFTRA rally in Times Square on July 25 (which was reported upon by Variety), Cranston directed his ire at Iger, who previously made disparaging comments about performers and writers striking for fair pay and against the advent of artificial intelligence invading their industry. 

"We've got a message for Mr. Iger," Cranston told his fellow actors. "I know, sir, that you look [at] things through a different lens. We don't expect you to understand who we are. But we ask you to hear us, and beyond that to listen to us when we tell you we will not be having our jobs taken away and given to robots. We will not have you take away our right to work and earn a decent living. And lastly, and most importantly, we will not allow you to take away our dignity! We are union through and through, all the way to the end!"

Cranston also addressed the issue of actors being underpaid for shows on streaming services, saying, "Our industry has changed exponentially. We are not in the same business model we were even 10 years ago. And yet, even though they admit that is the truth in today's economy, they are fighting us tooth and nail to stick to the same economic system that is outmoded, outdated! They want us to step back in time. We cannot and we will not do that."

Cranston — who was joined at this rally by huge names like Steve Buscemi, Brendan Fraser, Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, and many, many more — was in the news just before SAG-AFTRA decided to join the WGA and strike against the studios undercutting their profession. On June 9, 2023, five days before SAG-AFTRA's strike officially began on July 14, Cranston revealed that he intended to take a step away from acting in the next few years. Specifically, he said he would take a year off starting in 2026, when he'll turn 70, to spend more time with his wife of 34 years, Robin Dearden.

In conversation with British GQ while promoting his most recent project, Wes Anderson's "Asteroid City," Cranston said, "I want to change the paradigm once again," he told GQ. "For the last 24 years, Robin has led her life holding onto my tail. She's been the plus one, she's been the wife of a celebrity. She's had to pivot and adjust her life based on mine. She has tremendous benefit from it, but we're uneven. I want to level that out. She deserves it."

Not only that, but Cranston wants to just... spend time with his wife and family, relaxing and traveling throughout Europe: "I want to have that experienceI want to go for day trips and have the fire in the fireplace and drink wine with new friends and not read scripts. It's not going to be like, 'Oh, I'll read and see what I'm going to do.' No, it's a pause. It's a stop. I won't be thinking about [work]. I'm not going to be taking phone calls.... It's about taking a chance." 

In case you need a refresher, the reason that SAG-AFTRA joined the WGA on strike comes down to the fact that the AMPTP, or the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, refuses to meet even the most basic of demands. Cranston brought up AI, which is a huge concern for both writers and actors. Writers are worried AI could be used to generate scripts and cut down on costs, and actors are concerned their likenesses could be used by studios thanks to new AI technology. One huge talking point has been the fact that the AMPTP reportedly wanted to be able to "scan" background actors and use their performances in perpetuity... while only paying the actors for one day's worth of work.

Other issues raised by SAG-AFTRA include self-tape auditions, which have become more common but are much more onerous for actors. There's also the issue of streaming, which pays pocket change in residuals when it comes to streaming television shows, marking a huge change from the days when one guest role on a network TV show could pay one's bills for months. 

Meanwhile, when it comes to Iger, he's referred to the strike as "disruptive" and has said those striking need to be "realistic." Maybe Iger should pay attention to Cranston's comments; Cranston might not be "the one who knocks" in real life, but he certainly played him on TV.