With streaming disrupting the economics of the TV and film industries, it doesn’t help to alienate your audience with political posturing like Disney has with its refashioning of classic fairy tales including the upcoming 'Snow White.'
Images: Disney/Shutterstock/Bloomberg News/Getty Images for CAA Composite: Mark KellyAmong the big names on a Zoom call last week of Hollywood actors questioning their union over lack of progress in the actor’s strike was Meryl Streep .
Her name jumps out because 112 days earlier she signed a letter with other major stars urging a strike at a moment when a planarian might have noticed the union’s leverage was at low ebb thanks to the collapse of cable subscribership, streaming losses and the decline of movie-going.
Nanny Defarge, aka Fran Drescher , the union boss, saw the light, however, and began out-mau-mauing the letter signers.
Until that moment, she had insisted talks with the studios were making “exceptional progress.” Even the New York Times now says her sudden adoption of blood-curdling rhetoric has been an obstacle to a deal.
Persons:
Mark Kelly, Meryl Streep, Nanny Defarge, Fran Drescher
Organizations:
Disney, Bloomberg, CAA, New York Times