Adam Driver Calls Out Netflix and Amazon, Stands With Strike in Venice

By Marlow Stern

Adam Driver may be at the Venice Film Festival promoting his new film Ferrari, but he wants the striking SAG-AFTRA actors on the picket lines to know that he “stands in solidarity” with them.

To be clear: Driver is not breaking any strike rules by appearing in Venice and doing publicity for his biopic of Enzo Ferrari. The film, directed by Michael Mann and produced by Neon and STX, has a SAG interim agreement because it was made independent of the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) and abided by SAG rules and regulations.

“I’m very happy to be here to support this movie — the truncated schedule that we had to shoot it, and the efforts of all the incredible actors working on it, and the crew — but also, I’m very proud to be here to be a visual representation of a movie that’s not part of the AMPTP, and to promote the SAG leadership directive, which is an effective tactic, which is the interim agreement,” Driver said during the film’s press conference.

According to Driver, the SAG interim agreements are beneficial because they “allow independent movies to be made” and “stop the bleeding a little bit,” providing opportunities for people in the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) and SAG to work amid the ongoing actors’ strike.

He then called out studios like Netflix and Amazon for not wanting to play by SAG rules.

“The other objective is to obviously say, why is it that a smaller distribution company like Neon and STX International can meet the dream demands of what SAG is asking for… but a big company like Netflix and Amazon can’t?” he asked. “And every time people from SAG go and support a movie that has agreed to these terms, an interim agreement, it just makes it more obvious that these people are willing to support the people they collaborate with and the others are not.”

He continued: “Understanding the interim agreement, it’s a no-brainer for all of these reasons why you’d want to support your union, and I’m here because of that: to stand in solidarity with them by showing up, and further proving the point that it’s really about the people you make it with.”

Mann, the 80-year-old director of cinema classics like Heat and The Insider, echoed his star’s sentiments while also shouting-out the Writer’s Guild, who are well past the 100-day period of their strike.

“Individually and collectively, we all stand in solidarity with SAG and also the Writers’ Guild as well,” explained Mann. “To be crystal clear, once an agreement is in place, we fully encourage our SAG-AFTRA members to work under that agreement and promote work made under that agreement because it benefits SAG in their negotiations.”

“No big studio wrote us a check, and that’s why we’re here standing in solidarity with both unions.”

Ferrari will hit theaters nationwide on Dec. 25.