The cast of Apple TV+'s “Platonic” was all smiles and giggles as they celebrated the premiere of their rom-com, but the carpet was marred by the ongoing Hollywood writers' strike Wednesday night.
Walking the green carpet outside the regal L.A. Live theater, some of the show's stars, including old friends Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne and Carla Gallo, shared their views on the showdown between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers. Thoughts expressed in Downtown Los Angeles.
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“I am personally appalled by how successful these shows and movies are for streaming services,” Rogen said. “The secrecy alone makes me think that they are making more money out of all of us than they want to share with anyone. These executives are making wild salaries that you would only make if you ran an incredibly profitable business Are driving
Rosen said, “Thank God for their ability to force these labor unions and these giant corporations, who banded together to drive down workers' wages, actually do something once in a while and do something fair and fair.” work equally.”
The WGA called a strike on May 1 after the guild failed to reach an agreement with AMPTP, prompting writers to strike at studios across the country. As a result, production has been halted on several shows including “Abbott Elementary,” “Yellowjackets,” and “Big Mouth.”
As far as Apple titles are concerned, the Show seems to be in good shape. Byrne, who also stars in the streamer's “Physical,” confirmed production on season 3 of the comedy was completed just a week before the strike was called. He shared that his long-awaited horror film, “Insidious: The Red Door” will also come to fruition as originally planned. However, he has his own concerns about the still-ongoing talks — more so, with DGA talks happening right now and SAG talks looming around the corner.
“It is long overdue to re-evaluate and restructure these contracts that we are under. DGA is clearly above that, but it begins and ends with writers. Without writing, there's no directing, no acting, no catering, no transpo, no electricity,” Byrne said.
“The way he has been treated and what needs to change is overdue and I stand in solidarity with him. The way the contract is structured and what they demand from the writers is untenable,” she adds.
Gallo's concern as an actor lies in the issue of residuals. “I am definitely representative of those actors who work for a while and then don't work for a very long time. I survived the residuals,” she shared.
“‘Crossing the Jordan,' I got the hang of it. I was like, when did I do ‘Crossing Jordan'? I mean, I get 10 cents, but that's what keeps us alive in times of drought,” he She further says
“Platonic” serves as a reunion for Gallo, Byrne and Rogen after working together in Nicholas Stoller's 2014 film “Neighbors”. “I've known Seth since he was 18. I was on ‘Undeclared' with him,” Gallo shared, noting that Stoller, who created “Platonic”, was a writer on “Undeclared”.
“So we all have known each other for 20 some odd years. Rose and I have been very close friends since ‘Neighbours,'” Gallo explained.
“I've made a lot of stuff examining almost exclusively male friendships. As soon as I heard that it was focusing on male and female friendship, it was one of those things that immediately felt very intuitive, but also very original,” Rogen said.
“Platonic” follows a platonic pair of former best friends approaching midlife (Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne) who reconnect after a lengthy rift. The two's friendship becomes consuming and hilariously destabilizing. Luke MacFarlane, Trey Hale, Andrew Lopez also star.
The series premieres May 24 on Apple TV+.
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