The pop band Imagine Dragons has shown its support for the striking writers.
In solidarity with the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, the pop rock band’s lead singer Dan Reynolds and guitarist Wayne Sermon offered free entertainment outside Netflix’s headquarters in Los Angeles, reports aceshowbiz.com.
On Tuesday, May 9, the two musicians were spotted at the picket line. Equipped with guitar, speakers and microphones, they delivered some of their hit songs, including ‘Radioactive’ and ‘Whatever It Takes’, in an acoustic way from a bench on the sidewalk.
Throughout Dan and Wayne’s performance, members of the WGA surrounded the duo. They sang along to some of the band’s songs as well as chanted ‘Imagine’ and ‘Dragons’.
After the impromptu gig, Dan was asked about the reason behind his and Wayne’s support for the writers’ strike. In response, he told TMZ that the writers deserve to earn greater pay for creating and driving so much entertainment in Hollywood.
The two ‘Imagine Dragons’ members were not the only ones who have publicly supported the strike. Jennifer Coolidge voiced her support when delivering her acceptance speech on Sunday, May 7, after winning the Most Frightened Performance at 2023 MTV Movie and TV Awards.
“Almost all great comedy starts with great writers,” Coolidge reminded.
“I just think as a proud member of SAG, I stand here before you tonight side-by-side with my sisters and brothers from the WGA that are fighting right now, fighting for the rights of artists everywhere.”
The actress playing Tanya McQuoid on ‘The White Lotus’ continued, “I think of the words of Shakespeare where he once said, you know, the play is the thing. Well, I don’t want to put words in his mouth or anything but I think what he really meant was it’s everything!”
Another star, Snoop Dogg, has also shown solidarity to the strike.
“(Artistes) need to figure it out the same way the writers are figuring it out,” he said during a panel on May 3.
“The writers are striking because (of) streaming, they can’t get paid. Because when it’s on the platform, it’s not like in the box office. I don’t understand how the [expletive] you get paid off of that [expletive].”
The strike took place after the WGA’s contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers ended. Since May 2, as many as 11,500 screenwriter members refused to work since studios failed to agree on a new three-year deal.
They also seek pay raises and other benefits. For the first time in 15 years, the members picketed outside major studios and streaming services.
