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After a long and hard SAG-AFTRA strike and contract negotiation, Fran Drescher, the union’s president, has not only secured tentatively a historic three-year deal with studios but also garnered praise from some of Hollywood’s biggest names. Among them, George Clooney who expressed sheer astonishment at the deal. The ‘Ocean’s Thirteen’ star told Fran, “I would have bet my house and lost that you couldn’t get the deal that you got.”
Drescher shared how happy that comment made her in an exclusive interview with “Extra’s” Billy Bush in which she talked about the strike and accomplishment.
The union and The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers engaged in intense negotiations for over two weeks to reach an agreement on a deal worth an unprecedented $1,011,000,000. Although the union members still need to officiate it, Hollywood is relieved to return to work finally. This deal wraps up a strike that started in mid-July this year when the SAG-AFTRA addressed artificial intelligence protections for high-earning members among other points. The strike affected movie and TV show productions, causing studios to lose around $500 million.
Other A-listers also reached out to Drescher to congratulate her on the massive accomplishment. Tyler Perry, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, Ryan Reynolds, Laura Dern, Kerry Washington, and Bradley Cooper. Cooper, in particular, shared that many years ago when she was still on ‘The Nanny` and he was working at a hotel, he brought her bags up to her room and he talked to her and that moment left a lasting impression on him. ‘The Hangover’ actor said, “I never, ever forgot how kind you were, how much you made me feel seen, and how you talked to me like I was an equal, and I’ll never forget that, and I’m just glad I had the opportunity to thank you now.”’
Regarding the deal and negotiations Fran said, “When it all adds up, it’s quite significant…You know, it wasn’t what we wanted as the performers with the background people got, we didn’t get that, but we were very happy that our lowest-earning members got the most for their minimum salary.”
She also recognized that this victory extends beyond herself and the present union members, expressing hope that it will have a lasting impact.“There was so much meat on the bone that we did get. 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.”