Dispatches From The Picket Lines: Striking Writers & Actors Discuss Restart Of WGA Talks With Skepticism But Some Optimism

deadline.com:

This is Day 93 of the WGA strike and Day 20 of the SAG-AFTRA strike. The talk of the picket lines today was the bombshell news that studios and striking writers are headed back to the bargaining table Friday. “It’s a baby step, and baby steps lead us eventually to the finish line,” Barry and Mad Men actor Patrick Fischler told Deadline outside of the Disney building in Burbank.

Noting that such A-listers as Sean Penn and Jane Fonda have been on the picket lines lately, he added that “actors are pissed.

Every level of actor is kind of angry, and I don’t see that changing right now. …l We’re not going anywhere.” "It's a baby step and baby steps lead us eventually to the finish line…" – Patrick Fischler tells Deadline outside of Disney in Burbank today in regards to the news that WGA is going back to the bargaining table #SAGAFTRAStrike #WritersStrike pic.twitter.com/RB5t04R6al Striking actor-writer Beck Bennett was cautiously optimistic about the restart of WGA-AMPTP talks this week. “Is is posturing or is it real, going into the negotiations?” he told Deadline. “Everybody really wants to get back in there. … But for the energy also — to go from three months of striking in the Writers Guild to adding all of the actors, it’s such an infusion of energy and more hope.” His fellow picketer Alex Anfanger, who created Big Time in Hollywood, FL and starred in Cake, said: “It’s hard to get your hopes up about what’s happening on Friday, but we’ll see.

Hopefully they do want to come to an agreement. Hopefully they’ve felt the pain of this like a lot of us have. … It would be great if they were actually able to make an effort.”"Hopefully they do want to come to an agreement.