Fran Drescher Says George Clooney's Reaction to SAG-AFTRA Deal 'Made Me So Happy'
The guild's president revealed how George Clooney reacted to the strike-ending deal
Fran Drescher was happy with George Clooney’s reaction to the deal that ended the actors' strike.
After the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) reached an agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) this week to end the actors' strike, Drescher, the guild’s president, told Extra that Clooney, 62, commended her.
“George Clooney said, ‘I would have bet my house and lost that you couldn't get the deal that you got, that you wouldn’t have gotten past a billion dollars.’ And, you know, that just made me so happy," said Drescher, 66.
Drescher also opened up about how proud she was of the deal, which the union valued to be worth about $1 billion.
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“There was so much meat on the bone that we did get,” she said. “It is such a triumph, such an extraordinary contract with so much in it that makes it meaningful for the lives of all of our members and, really, for generations to come. That was also important, because I think that this is a historic time, and we needed a seminal negotiation to match it.”
SAG-AFTRA member George and his wife Amal Clooney were among the Hollywood stars who donated $1 million or more to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation's Emergency Financial Assistance Program back in August.
George said in a statement at the time, “We stand ready to get back to the table and make a fair deal with the AMPTP. Until then, I’m proud to be able to support the SAG-AFTRA Foundation and my fellow actors who may be struggling in this historic moment."
Related: Dwayne Johnson Makes 'Historic Donation' to SAG-AFTRA Foundation Relief Fund amid Ongoing Strike
"We’ve stood on the shoulders of the likes of Bette Davis and Jimmy Cagney and it’s time for our generation to give something back," he continued. “I can’t thank Courtney [B. Vance] enough for his determination in putting this effort together by shedding light on the human toll happening right now, and how we can work together to alleviate some of the pain and suffering.”
The actor’s strike began July 14. SAG members were seeking better compensation and benefit plans, along with protection against the impact of artificial intelligence on their work.
As the tentative deal was reached Wednesday, the SAG-AFTRA TV/Theatrical Negotiating Committee shared in a statement, “In a contract valued at over one billion dollars, we have achieved a deal of extraordinary scope that includes ‘above-pattern’ minimum compensation increases, unprecedented provisions for consent and compensation that will protect members from the threat of AI, and for the first time establishes a streaming participation bonus.”
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The statement added, “We have arrived at a contract that will enable SAG-AFTRA members from every category to build sustainable careers. Many thousands of performers now and into the future will benefit from this work.”
Meanwhile, the AMPTP said the agreement “represents a new paradigm.”
“It gives SAG-AFTRA the biggest contract-on-contract gains in the history of the union, including the largest increase in minimum wages in the last 40 years; a brand new residual for streaming programs; extensive consent and compensation protections in the use of artificial intelligence; and sizable contract increases on items across the board."
“The AMPTP is pleased to have reached a tentative agreement and looks forward to the industry resuming the work of telling great stories," AMPTP added.
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