Viola Davis is stepping away from producing action thriller ‘G20’ in support of the ongoing Hollywood strikes.
The flick has received an interim agreement from the SAG-AFTRA union along with 100 other independent films, but the actress, 57, is not moving forward with filming.
In a move that is likely to set a precedent for A-listers supporting the actors’ and writers’ strike, she said in a statement: “I love this movie, but I do not feel that it would be appropriate for this production to move forward during the strike.
“I appreciate that the producers on the project agree with this decision. JuVee Productions and I stand in solidarity with actors, SAG/AFTRA and the WGA (Writers Guild of America West.)”
‘G20’ received a strike waiver despite the project’s affiliation with Amazon Prime Video, which is set to distribute the film.
The subject of interim waivers has been hotly contended since the SAG-AFTRA strike began two weeks ago as many see it as breaking the picket line.
Viola’s announcement comes two days after actor Sarah Silverman, 52,
slammed Hollywood stars for continuing to work on indie projects amid the strike – calling it an act of “scabbing.”
She said in a video posted to her Instagram: “We should see every movie star out there striking along because you have insurance because of your union. “You get residuals because of your union. All these things that you get because of your union, and you can’t stand with your union?
“So, I don’t know if I’m mad at these movie stars that are making these indie movies that are obviously going to go to streaming, or am I mad at SAG for making this interim deal for these indie movies?”
A raft of other indie films are still going ahead, with Apple TV+’s ‘Tehran’ and A24’s ‘Mother Mary’ and ‘I Dream of Unicorns’ are among the production that have received waivers from SAG-AFTRA to continue filming.
Actors such as Glenn Close, Anne Hathaway, Dakota Fanning and others are also still working under waivers.
