Jeremy Strong may be done playing the role of Kendall Roy on HBO’s Succession, but he’s far from done working in the world of entertainment. As the network shared the final episode of the four-season drama, the HBO star sat down with Deadline to discuss a number of topics, including the ongoing WGA strike. When asked about the matter, the Succession star did not shy away from offering his support for writers. More specifically, he spoke about the guild’s desire to protect writers from the increased use of AI in Hollywood.
“There’s a Lincoln quote I’ll paraphrase: An industry that does not honor its writers will not long endure,” Strong said.
“AI ain’t gonna write Succession, or Chinatown or The Godfather. It’s just not going to. If we don’t nurture and provide the infrastructure and the apparatus to support and engender and create another generation of writers who are deep thinkers, who are grappling with the big things the way Jesse, Aaron Sorkin and Eric Roth and Amy Hertzog are grappling with the big things, then what’s left is decadence. And that’s terrifying because in our culture, decadence is the last stage before collapse.”
Strong is far from the only actor to offer support for the WGA during the strike. Throughout the last few weeks, Abbott Elementary star Quinta Brunson has been vocal and active in her support of writers in the WGA.
“We’re working towards this being over, we’re working towards getting better pay, better living arrangements — people need to live, people need sustenance, they need to be able to pay their rent, to pay for food,” Brunson said about the strike.
“If we keep staying strong, then we’re actually going to be able to make this end sooner and get the things that we’re fighting for — I think that’s a very important part of this.”
