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Latino Actors And Writers Pack Picket Lines In Solidarity
A SAG-AFTRA staff member leads a chant while striking actors and writers dance to musicians playing the cajón and bongo drums.
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Samanta Helou Hernandez
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Latino actors and writers crowded on the sidewalks outside the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank Friday as part of a joint picket.
There were some big names among the crowd who were there to support the strike but also to highlight the underrepresentation of Latinos in Hollywood.
Actor Edward James Olmos said solidarity is important.
“The key always has been the unity of humankind to help each other... And this is under the understanding of trying to bring an awareness to a difficulty within the community,” Olmos said.
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A UCLA study found Latino actors got only 7% of film leads in 2021.
Striking actors and writers underneath a poster for Blue Beetle, a DC superhero film with a Latino lead.
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Blue Beetle, the new DC superhero movie opening this weekend, bucks the trend with a Latino director, writer, and star.
Posters for the film are plastered on the walls of the Warners lot. But due to strike rules the film’s stars can’t promote it.
Striking actor Jessica Marie Garcia said she sees the strike as a necessary evil, but: “We’re all terrified. There are films that are coming out that could really change the narrative for us... There’s so much money in our people, and I feel like we’ve been left out of the conversation for so long.”
Striking actors, writers, and allies brought musical instruments to picket line hosted by the SAG-AFTRA and WGA Latinx committees on August 18, 2023.
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Samanta Helou Hernandez
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A sign reads "Pochas Unidas for Fair Pay" at the picket line hosted by the SAG-AFTRA and WGA Latinx committees.
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Samanta Helou Hernandez
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Jorge Rivera, vice chair of the Latinx Writers Committee for the Writers Guild of America West helped organize Friday’s joint picket.
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“We’ve got issues to address after the strike, and so we’ll be fighting to the end of the strike, and we’ll be fighting after the strike,” Rivera said.
Friday’s action comes as the WGA continues to meet with studios and streamers. A week ago, the WGA negotiating committee said it had received a counter proposal from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
Jorge Rivera, one of the organizers of the joint SAG-AFTRA and WGA Latinx picket line, speaks to striking writers and actors in front of Warner Bros. Studios on Friday, August 18, 2023.
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“We will evaluate their offer and, after deliberation, go back to them with the WGA’s response next week,” the WGA said in a statement.
Latinx Writers Committee chair Christina Piña said writers in her community were struggling more than three months into the WGA strike.
“We were just talking to a few of our friends here at the picket. They have already taken other jobs... And they’re still showing up here regardless even with times being tough... We know that this is a hard, hard battle. But we know it’s one that must be fought,” Piña said.
Actor Edward James Olmos at the picket line hosted by the SAG-AFTRA and WGA Latinx committees.
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Edward James Olmos
On solidarity between Latino actors and writers:
“It’s very important. I mean, the key always has been the unity of humankind to help each other. That’s a basic fundamental. That’s why tribes were created, that’s why communities happen, that’s why countries happen, that’s why civilizations happen. It’s the unification of humanity and it’s what this is. And this is under the understanding of trying to bring an awareness to a difficulty within the community.”
Michelle C. Bonilla, a strike captain and committee member of the SAG-AFTRA National Latino Committee that put together the picket along with the WGA.
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Michelle C. Bonilla
“We are the biggest percentage of population in the United States and yet we are so underrepresented in film and television. So we are here today to represent, to raise our voices... We deserve better wages and pay to help us succeed.”
Alejandro Brugues at the SAG-AFTRA and WGA picket line in front of Warner Bros. Studios.
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Alejandro Brugues
“I’ve been here for over 100 days and this, I think it’s the most crowded I have seen. And it’s lovely to have all the Latinos out here.”
Regarding the sign he was carrying (which read "I didn’t escape an oppressive regime to put up with this shit"):
“I’m from Cuba. So I escaped an oppressive regime. I moved here 10 years ago. I’m Cuban, so I’m used to this. I can keep doing this forever.”
Jessica Marie Garcia, an actor known for her roles in How to Get Away with Murder and On My Block, joined the picket line at Warner Bros. Studio on August 18, 2023.
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Samanta Helou Hernandez
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Jessica Marie Garcia
“There are films that are coming out that could really change the narrative for us... There’s so much money in our people and I feel like we’ve been left out of the conversation for so long.”
Jorge Rivera, one of the organizers of the joint SAG-AFTRA and WGA Latinx picket line, in front of Warner Bros. on August 18, 2023.
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Samanta Helou Hernandez
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LAist
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Jorge Rivera
“We’ve got issues to address after the strike, and so we’ll be fighting to the end of the strike and we’ll be fighting after the strike... The attitude out here on the pickets is phenomenal. Despite the fact that some people are struggling... I don’t think anyone is planning on going anywhere until this strike is over.”
Grace Lizzo join the picket lines at the join SAG-AFTRA and WGA Latinx-focused event.
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Grace Lizzo
“Just to see everybody coming together like this, I think once we actually push through, it’s going to be even further progress than we had before... It’s incredible to see this many brown people standing together, especially in front of the studios. It’s been an incredible honor to be a part of it... I think it’s making us stronger.”
Elí Hernandez holds a sign that reads "strike" in Spanish at the joint WGA and SAG-AFTRA Latinx focused picket line in front of Warner Bros. Studios.
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Elí Hernandez
“By showing up it kind of shows how many people are interested in this and how many people are [here] to tell stories... To tell our stories.”
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Cristina Piña
“We were just talking to a few of our friends here at the picket. They have already taken other jobs... And they’re still showing up here regardless even with times being tough... We know that this is a hard, hard battle. But we know it’s one that must be fought.”
Gretchen Cooper-Hernandez at the picket line.
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Juan Carlos Coto at the picket line hosted by the SAG-AFTRA and WGA Latinx commitees.
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
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