Appearing at a press conference during the Venice Film Festival on Thursday, “Ferrari” star Adam Driver name-checked streaming giants Amazon and Netflix as the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes in Hollywood continue.
“Why is it that a smaller distribution company like Neon and STX International (distributors for “Ferrari”) can meet the dream demands of what SAG is asking for – this is pre-negotiations – the dream version of SAG’s wishlist, but a big company like Netflix and Amazon can’t,” Driver asked.
He added that “every time people from SAG go and support a movie that has agreed to these terms – the interim agreement – it just makes it more obvious that these people are willing to support the people that they collaborate with, and the others are not.”
The actor has starred in several Netflix films, including last year’s “White Noise” and 2019’s “Marriage Story,” a performance for which he earned an Oscar nomination.
Driver is among the few actors who are participating in events at the Venice Film Festival through the interim agreement waivers with SAG-AFTRA for independent projects.
Strike guidelines otherwise prohibit members of the actors guild from promoting films and TV series that are produced by studios and streamers that are part of the AMPTP.
Members of the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) went on strike in July, and writers in the Writers Guild of America (WGA) have been on strike since May.
Directed by Michael Mann, “Ferrari” is an independent film that stars Driver as Enzo Ferrari, the Italian sports car magnate, and chronicles his life story.
“I’m very happy to be here to support this movie,” Driver said in Venice, adding that he’s also “very proud to be here to be a visual representation of a movie that’s not part of the AMPTP and to promote the SAG leadership directive, which is an effective tactic – which is the interim agreement.”