Soooo… lately I’ve been seeing Meghan fans, most of whom work outside the film and TV industry, waxing at length about how Meghan needs to write a post or speak up about the strike and how it’s a “bad look” that she hasn’t. As a WGA member who’s been on the picket lines for way too many months, let me explain why you are wrong:
Since the strike began, WGA and now SAG-AFTRA have followed a very precise playbook regarding our messaging to the public about our goals and reasonings for the strike. This messaging is key to us achieving those goals. This messaging has largely been put into the mouths of smaller to medium visibility actors. No Leo DiCaprio or Ben Afflecks waxing on about the plight of the worker. The reasoning for that should be obvious—it plays right into the hands of the AMPTP, who would like nothing more than to portray the actors (and writers) as a bunch of wealthy whiners, millionaire champagne socialists glibly sticking it to the working class crew people that they’ve put out of work. They want to divide us and turn the public against us. What we want to get across is that we are largely working class folks as well. The best way to do that is to keep the bigger names from becoming the face of this action. Those folks have instead been encouraged to stay quiet and donate to the strike fund. And many have obliged—in fact a list of million plus dollar donors was just released.
This is all carefully crafted strategy and ITS WORKING! Try as they might, the producers haven’t been able to influence public opinion against us, the other unions still have our backs and the companies are slowly coming around to the realization that they may actually have to negotiate.
All this is to say, the very LAST thing we need is a literal princess,living in a million bathroom mansion with Oprah and Ellen as neighbors, to pipe up with even the most well intentioned of comments. That would be the opening the networks (and the press) is looking for to shift the conversation from the very real struggles of the working actor to all of the things that are regularly thrown at Meghan in the press. And suddenly, we’re off-message.
We don’t need a light shined on us. The public is aware of why we’re striking and is on our side, thus far. What we need to do is stay on message, which means the big names continue to stay quiet and the regular actors who make up the bulk of the union get to talk. It’s helpful when the Suits writers reveal how little they’re making in residuals from all the streams the show is getting on Netflix. It would NOT be helpful for Meghan to carry that same message, because then all the venom and dismissiveness and mockery that gets thrown her way will now be directed at the strike.
So please stop encouraging her to speak or write about the strike. Don’t try to rethink our strategy for us. I’m sure Meghan is doing her part behind the scenes. And behind the scenes is exactly where we need her to be.
A tired but resolute TV writer
