Jeremy Allen White had an incredible reaction to hearing that the 118-day SAG-AFTRA strike was ending from the Dallas red carpet premiere of The Iron Claw.
The actor, 32, plays Kerry Von Erich in the film centered on the real-life story of the Von Erich wrestling family and was one of the first to hear about the AMPTP reaching a tentative deal with his union.
“We just heard, moments ago, the strike is over,” ET’s Cassie Dilaura told the star of FX’s The Bear.
“That’s amazing,” White said, pulling back and smiling at the news.
The actor — along with co-stars Harris Dickinson, Zac Efron and Stanley Simons — were present at the premiere Wednesday evening as the film’s production company, A24, had a deal with SAG-AFTRA that allowed performers to promote their films and attend events such as premieres.
Due to strike rules, actors who starred in work from struck companies were not allowed to discuss their shows or movies, nor show support for their projects overall. The rules — accompanied by the WGA strike which ended in late September — led to essentially a full shutdown of Hollywood and millions out of work for months.
In response to the industry getting back up and running, White said the news is exciting and promising for his union members.
“It makes me feel incredible. I don’t know the details of the deal but I’m sure SAG got what we wanted, what they wanted — and I’m so happy too, our crews, they don’t stand to benefit from this agreement so they just get to go back to work,” he shared.
The Shameless star says that despite not knowing what the new three-year deal entails, he is just glad to see Hollywood making its way back.
“I’m just so glad that the industry can start up again, it’s exciting for sure,” he said. “Back to work,” he said.
And for White, that specifically means getting back into the kitchen for his hit FX show which also stars Ayo Edebiri.
Just days ago, ET confirmed that The Bear had been renewed for a third season after the successful debut of season two in late June.
“The Bear, which wowed audiences in its first season only to achieve even greater heights in season two, has become a cultural phenomenon,” said Nick Grad, President of FX Entertainment in a press release.
“We’re so proud to partner with Christopher Storer, Joanna Calo, Josh Senior, and the rest of the creative team, as well as the brilliant cast led by Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. What they and the crew have done is truly remarkable, and we and our partners at Hulu join fans in looking forward to the next chapter in the story of The Bear,” Grad wrote.
While the news of a third season was confirmed on Monday, White, Edebiri and other cast members were not allowed to comment on it publicly as promotion of “struck work” went against their union’s guidance in regard to the strike.
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