After 118 days, SAG-AFTRA’s historic strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) came to an end last week. Actors are able to promote their projects again, which means ComicBook.com is back to interviewing some exciting stars. One such actor is Chris Prine, who recently spoke to us about his new animated Disney film, Wish. During the interview, we asked Pine about the strike and he spoke about all of the actors who struggled without work.
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“Well, I had the great… I live in an odd world, I have the luxury of not having to work,” Pine explained. “So I think what I’m most happy about is all of that feeling of ranker and sadness and desperation that I was feeling from some of our other people in the ranks can now be assuaged a bit and they know that they have something to look forward to. It’s nice to feel our community unified once again.”
Why Did SAG Go On Strike?
In a statement tied to the strike announcement, SAG-AFTRA representatives revealed that the strike would commence after four weeks of negotiations with the AMPTP, and an existing negotiation extension from June 30th to July 12th. Back in May, SAG-AFTRA’s national board unanimously agreed to send an authorization vote to members, with 97.91 percent of members ultimately voting in favor of authorization.
“Yesterday our union celebrated the 90th anniversary of the incorporation of Screen Actors Guild,” Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator, said during a press conference. “During our nearly century-long existence we’ve fought for and achieved countless gains for working actors. Today, we embark on a new important chapter in our unions history. Earlier this morning, the SAG-AFTRA national board convened following four weeks of negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television producers in a meeting, because AMPTP remains unwilling to offer a fair deal on key issues essential to protecting the livelihoods of working actors and performers. SAG AFTRA as national board unanimously voted to issue a strike order against the studios and streamers.”
What Is Wish About?
You can read the official synopsis for Wish here: In Wish, Asha, a sharp-witted idealist, makes a wish so powerful that it is answered by a cosmic force—a little ball of boundless energy called Star. Together, Asha and Star confront a most formidable foe—the ruler of Rosas, King Magnifico—to save her community and prove that when the will of one courageous human connects with the magic of the stars, wondrous things can happen. Featuring the voices of Academy Award®-winning actor Ariana DeBose as Asha, Chris Pine as Magnifico, and Alan Tudyk as Asha’s favorite goat, Valentino, the film is helmed by Oscar®-winning director Chris Buck (Frozen, Frozen 2) and Fawn Veerasunthorn (Raya and the Last Dragon), produced by Peter Del Vecho (Frozen, Frozen 2) and co-produced by Juan Pablo Reyes (Encanto).
Jennifer Lee (Frozen, Frozen 2) executive produces — Lee and Allison Moore (Night Sky, Manhunt) are writers on the project. With original songs by Grammy®-nominated singer/songwriter Julia Michaels and Grammy-winning producer/songwriter/musician Benjamin Rice, plus a score by composer Dave Metzger.
Stay tuned for more from our interviews with the creatives behind Wish, which opens only in theaters on November 22nd.
