Will Smith Speaks Out on SAG-AFTRA and WGA Strikes: ‘It’s a Pivotal Moment for Our Profession’

variety.com:

Jaden Thompson Will Smith has taken to Instagram and Twitter to support the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. A member of SAG-AFTRA, Smith wrote about the importance of this moment for both guilds. “I wanna talk for a second about ACTING,” Smith wrote. “As some of y’all mighta heard, my guild, @SAGAFTRA are on strike along with our writer colleagues in the WGA.

It’s a pivotal moment for our profession.” The WGA has been on strike since April and SAG-AFTRA since July 14, calling for negotiations with studios for fairer contracts.

The SAG-AFTRA Foundation replied to Smith with “Thank you for your support Will!” In addition to identifying the strike as a “pivotal moment,” Smith also reminisced on how far he’s come in his own 30-plus years of acting and expressed gratitude to a mentor of his, Aaron Speiser. “33 years into my career as an actor and there are still some days when I feel like I’m that kid from Philly who’s on borrowed time, even though I know I’ve been extraordinarily blessed and lucky to have worked as an actor all this time,” Smith continued. “It’s thanks to my friend, my teacher and my mentor @aaronspeiser whom I fondly refer to as ‘coach’ that those days when I feel like I don’t belong are fewer and further between.” The accompanying photo shows Smith posing alongside students at The Screen Acting Studio, where he dropped in on a class.

Speiser works at The Screen Acting Studio and also hosts “Coach The Podcast.” He concluded the post by thanking his mentor and expressing his faith in the next generation of actors to take on the industry.