SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher was at the center of Thursday’s press conference, announcing that Hollywood’s main acting union would go on strike, calling the behavior of the Alliance of Motion Picture ‘disgusting’ and Television Producers (AMPTP) for weeks of fruitless negotiations. in a “Shame on you” for good measure.
THE Nanny And Hotel Transylvania The actress also found herself on the defensive, however, days after drawing heavy criticism for taking a weekend trip to Italy for a Dolce & Gabbana promotional event – and taking a ‘tone deaf’ selfie with Kim Kardashian, posted on the influencer’s Instagram account – as the deadline for a SAG-AFTRA work stoppage approached. “Hollywood rants about union chief Fran Drescher over photo in Italy with Kim Kardashian as strike looms,” the newspaper read. New York Postciting tweets from a handful of angry actors.
Drescher addressed the kerfuffle when asked about it at Thursday’s press conference.
“I’m a brand ambassador for a fashion company, just like Kim,” she explained. “I had only met Kim seconds before this publicity photo was taken. It had nothing to do with being at a party or having fun, it was absolute work. I had my hair and makeup done for three hours a day, walking in heels on cobblestones, doing stuff like that, which is work, not fun. I’m sure Kim would have preferred to be at home in Malibu with her kids, too. But we work, that’s what we do.
“And at 10:30 p.m. at night, I would leave the event, go to my hotel, and call Zoom. And when I couldn’t reach them because I was on a plane, I would text To [SAG-AFTRA national executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland] constantly throughout the plane journey. I worked 24 hours a day in three different time zones.
Drescher then referenced a small army of SAG-AFTRA members standing behind her, adding, “So you know, I think all the people behind me are standing behind me,” prompting cheers from fans.
Crabtree-Ireland also fiercely defended Drescher when the criticism was raised by a reporter, who noted attempts to discredit the president’s commitment to the union.
“I mean it’s outrageous that they’re doing this,” Crabtree-Ireland said.
“What Fran was doing was Fran was working, which is what our members do. And that these employers are cynically trying to turn our members against Fran because she was doing a job, for which she was under contract, when, by the way, she was zooming in on our after-hours negotiations, working 6 p.m. or more a day, it’s outrageous. It’s wrong, it’s despicable and they should be ashamed of it.