“Abbott Elementary” creator and star Quinta Brunson is rallying support for WGA members to stay strong in this fourth week of fighting against the AMPTP as the impact of the strike begins to hit writers.
“We’re able to bring a lot of joy to this strike, but it would be ignorant not to acknowledge that people are out of work,” Brunson said while on the picket lines in a video posted by the official WGA Instagram account, likely referring to the organizing of themed pickets, mixers and impromptu concerts.
Brunson, who also plays the lead role of Janine Teagues in the ABC sitcom, urged guild members to “remember what we’re working towards,” as she encouraged the WGA to remain united. There is a strong possibility of “other, fellow unions join[ing] us” soon, as the SAG-AFTRA board voted unanimously last week to ask members for authorization to go on strike if the guild is unable to reach a new deal with studios by the current contract’s expiration on June 30.
“We’re working towards this being over, we’re working towards getting better pay, better living arrangements — people need to live, people need sustenance, they need to be able to pay their rent, to pay for food,” Brunson said.
“If we keep staying strong, then we’re actually going to be able to make this end sooner and get the things that we’re fighting for — I think that’s a very important part of this,” she continued. “I was just talking to one of the captains and it’s just important to remember that we’re fighting for something and we’re not going to leave here with nothing.”
“Abbott Elementary” is one of the myriad of the TV shows and projects that have been impacted by the strike, as the writers’ room for the ABC comedy was scheduled to reconvene in early May to begin work on the show’s third season, which Brunson also has a hand in writing.
Prior to the strike’s onset as the guild continued negotiations with the AMPTP in mid-April, “Abbott Elementary” co-showrunner Justin Halpern told TheWrap that studio-enforced barriers have made screenwriters’ chances for earning a living wage nearly impossible.
“We have to make writing a viable career for all the people who get into this skill,” Halpern said at the time. “This business is tough enough as it is, and you’re able to break into this business, you need to be paid a living wage to be able to live in Los Angeles, one of the most expensive cities in the world, so the studios have sort of eroded that ability.”
For all of TheWrap’s WGA Strike coverage, click here.
