Will Smith supports the screenwriters and his fellow actors on strike. On Friday, the comedian voiced his support for the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, describing the uproar as a “pivotal moment for our profession.”
It was on Instagram that Will Smith supported the Hollywood strikers. Invited to join a masterclass from his mentor, he shares a photo of this moment and writes in caption: “I would like to talk for a moment about the ACTOR profession. As some of you may have heard, my guild, @SAGAFTRA, is on strike, as are our fellow screenwriters at the WGA. This is a moment crucial for our profession.”
The actor has indeed joined a class led by his mentor Aaron Speier of the Screen Acting Studio to meet budding actors, who have “amazed and inspired”.
“Thirty-three years into my acting career, there are still days when I feel like that kid from Philadelphia on borrowed time, even though I know I’ve been extraordinarily blessed and lucky to be working as an actor all this time”he wrote.
He added : “It’s thanks to my friend, my teacher and my mentor @aaronspeiser, who I affectionately call ‘coach’, that the days when I feel like I don’t belong are fewer and fewer”.
Will Smith also thanked Aaron Speier for supporting up-and-coming artists. “I am grateful to the coach for continuing to support these young talents in this art form that I love and in which I have had the chance to work for three decades of my life! Thank you COACH”he wrote.
According to Deadline, Will Smith recently wrapped filming Bad Boys 4 with Martin Lawrence before the strike. The duo made a successful return to the Bad Boys franchise in 2020, one of the last films released before the Covid pandemic forced cinemas to close. Sony then rushed to prepare a sequel, but between the pandemic and the Will Smith controversy at the Oscars, the fourth film in the franchise took a long time to see the light of day. Bad Boys 4 will finally be released on June 14, 2024 in the United States.
Will Smith is one of many Hollywood actors who have voiced their support for the strike. Ahead of the July 13 strike announcement, actors like Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Rami Malek, Ben Stiller, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Quinta Brunson, Amy Schumer and Amy Poehler signed SAG-AFTRA’s letter to executives of the union, urging them not to conclude an agreement with the AMPTP if the alliance refused to meet their demands. Actors like Mariska Hargitay, Jessica Chastain and Daniel Radcliffe have even joined the picket lines in New York.