Will Smith highlights acting importance amid Hollywood strike

Los Angeles, United States, Jul 28 (EFE).- Will Smith used his social media to highlight the importance of acting in the hard times that Hollywood is going through due to strikes carried out by the actors union and the writers guild.

“I wanna talk for a second about acting. As some of y’all might’a heard, my guild (…) is on strike along with our writer colleagues at the (guild). It’s a pivotal time for our profession,” the actor, 55, wrote on Instagram.

Both unions held a joint strike, the first in 63 years, after neither managed to reach an agreement with the Alliance of Film and Television Producers for the realization of a new collective agreement.

Amid the entertainment hiatus, Smith said he had spent time with a group of young actors aspiring to have a place in the industry.

“I met a group of our talented next generation of actors and they amazed and inspired me!” he wrote.

“The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” protagonist also said that despite his 33-year career he still felt he had “borrowed time” and that he felt “blessed and lucky” to have been able to dedicate himself to acting for so many years.

Smith’s career was severely diminished when in 2022 he experienced one of the darkest moments in his career after the controversial slap he gave comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars.

However, his work as an actor did not end and he is currently waiting for the release of films such as “Bad Boys 4,” “The Council” and “Fast and Loose.”

The strike has paralyzed the industry and some experts estimate that if it continues, the economic losses could amount to $4 million.

So far, about 100 projects from independent production companies have obtained provisional permits from the actors union to advance their production, among which are “G20,” by MRC, starring and produced by Viola Davis or “Death of a Unicorn,” by A24, with Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega. EFE

mrl/lds