1Marvel star Sean Gunn has publically slammed Disney CEO Bob Iger while joining the ongoing Screen Actors Guild strikes.
Following in the footsteps of the Writers Guild of America, the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) is now officially on strike. With some of TV and cinema’s most pivotal figures now officially off the clock, that means Hollywood is at a standstill for the foreseeable future.
Related: Studios Have No Intention of Negotiating With WGA Strike, Hoping for a Defeated Union
The reasoning behind the SAG-AFTRA strike is similar to the Writers Strike. For the 170,o00 actors currently in the Guild, there are huge concerns about job security thanks to the stratospheric rise of AI. While the writers are concerned that Disney, Warner Bros., Universal, and other major studios will start to use artificial intelligence to generate scripts, actors fear that it’ll be used to digitally replicate their likenesses without appropriate payment.
Multiple big names have come out to support the strike – including Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Cillian Murphy, and Viola Davis – but not everyone in Hollywood is so keen. The Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger recently claimed that actors and writers aren’t being “realistic” with their expectations and that he finds the action “disturbing.”
Unsurprisingly, these statements haven’t gone down too well, with many pointing out Iger’s exorbitant salary in comparison to his lowest-paid workers. One figure publically calling this disparity out is, in fact, a star of one of Disney’s most successful films of the year so far: Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 (2023).
Sean Gunn – brother of the franchise’s writer and director, James Gunn – has starred in all three films, as well as Avengers: Endgame (2019), Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022), as the Ravager Kraglin, as well as providing motion capture for Rocket. AP News reports that he took to the picket line to support his fellow actors, as well as shade Iger himself.
Related: Sean Gunn Supports Tragic ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Theory
“I think when Bob Iger talks about, ‘What a shame it is,’ he needs to remember that in the 1980s, CEOs like him made 30 times more than what the lowest worker was making,” he said. “Now Bob Iger makes 400 times what his lowest worker is, and I think that’s a f***ing shame, Bob. Maybe you should take a look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself, ‘Why is that?’ and not only why is that, is it okay? Is it morally okay? Is it ethically okay that you make much more than your lowest worker?”
@apnews “I think that’s a shame, Bob!” “Guardians of the Galaxy” actor Sean Gunn questions Bob Iger’s salary after the Disney CEO’s comments on the Hollywood actors strike. #seangunn #guardiansofthegalaxy #bobiger #actorsstrike #hollywood
♬ original sound – The Associated Press – The Associated Press
Gunn soon went viral for his comments, with fans praising the actor for taking a stand despite his high-profile role in a Disney franchise. Iger has reportedly received $27 million since returning to Disney in November 2022, when he was brought back from retirement to replace widely unpopular CEO Bob Chapek. Considering the current climate, Iger’s popularity may be on a similar path – dampening what was once a solid legacy.
What are your thoughts on Bob Iger’s recent statement? Let us know in the comments!