Anna Kendrick is “heartbroken” to have missed the premiere of her directorial debut.
The 38-year-old actress is at the helm of the new movie ‘Woman of the Hour’ but missed the first showing of the drama film at the Toronto International Film Festival on Friday (08.09.23) to show her solidarity with the SAG-AFTRA strike and explained that she is still “proud” of what she has achieved.
She said in a statement: “[This] film festival has proven time and time again that it is an artist-driven festival, and it has been my absolute honor to have TIFF as part of my career for the last 14 years. “I truly can’t express how proud I am to have the world premiere of Woman of the Hour at TIFF. It is more than a dream come true. I am heartbroken to not be with you all in this moment.”
The ‘Into the Woods’ star went on to add that she “wished” she could be there at the premiere of her film but at the same time remained “proud” to stand with her union as they fight for “fair wages.”
She said: “I so wish they could be there to be celebrated in the way they richly deserve. As proud as we are of this film, we are equally proud to stand with our union in demanding fair wages.
The strike has caused the biggest shutdown in Hollywood for more than 60 years because the Writers Guild Strike is also on strike, which means that the majority of entertainment projects in the US have been forced to cease production.
Fran Drescher, the president of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, or SAG-AFTRA, said in a press conference: “At some point, you have to say no: ‘We are not going to take this anymore!’ You cannot change the business model as much as it has changed and not change the contract too. If we don’t stand tall right now, we are all in trouble.”
