Disney CEO says actors and writers aren't being realistic with strikes

Disney's CEO says writers and actors striking are not being "realistic" with their expectations.

In an appearance on CNBC’s Squawk Box on Thursday morning, Bob Iger said the strike action was “very disturbing to me. We’ve talked about disruptive forces on this business and all the challenges we’re facing, the recovery from Covid, which is ongoing, it’s not completely back.

“This is the worst time in the world to add to that disruption.”

“I understand any labor organisation’s desire to work on behalf of its members to get the most compensation and be compensated fairly based on the value that they deliver," the 72-year-old continued.

“We managed, as an industry, to negotiate a very good deal with the directors guild that reflects the value that the directors contribute to this great business. We wanted to do the same thing with the writers, and we’d like to do the same thing with the actors. There’s a level of expectation that they have that is just not realistic.

“And they are adding to the set of the challenges that this business is already facing that is, quite frankly, very disruptive.”

Iger spoke just hours before the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) declared a strike.

SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher delivered an emotionally-charged speech at a press conference on Thursday night announcing the union’s plans to strike.

The strike is expected to cripple Hollywood with some 160,000 actors joining members of the Writers Guild of America who are already on the picket lines. This is the first joint strike since 1960.

Drescher, who is now the President of Hollywood’s largest union, said in her speech that actors 'victimised by a very greedy entity'.

“It came with great sadness that we came to this crossroads. But we had no choice. We are the victims here. We are being victimised by a very greedy entity. I am shocked by the way the people that we have been in business with are treating us. I cannot believe it, quite frankly: How far apart we are on so many things. How they plead poverty, that they’re losing money left and right when giving hundreds of millions of dollars to their CEOs. It is disgusting. Shame on them," she said in her speech as per Variety.

“They stand on the wrong side of history at this very moment. We stand in solidarity, in unprecedented unity. Our union and our sister unions and the unions around the world are standing by us, as well as other labour unions. Because at some point, the jig is up. You cannot keep being dwindled and marginalised and disrespected and dishonoured. The entire business model has been changed by streaming, digital, AI.

"We stand tall. You have to wake up and smell the coffee. We are labor and we stand tall and we demand respect and to be honored for our contribution. You share the wealth because you cannot exist without us."

Topics: News, Celebrity, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Disney

Keryn Donnelly