Fran Drescher says actors strike she's leading is an 'inflection point' that goes beyond Hollywood

abcnews.go.com:

Fran Drescher says the strike she's leading as head of the actors union is a huge moment for both Hollywood and the world of work beyond it

LOS ANGELES — Fran Drescher believes that the walkouts that have shut down Hollywood are about something much bigger than the actors union she leads, or the writers striking alongside them, or the entertainment industry.

Drescher told The Associated Press the moment is about the entire world of work, and a larger stand against corporate leaders who value shareholders over the people who create their product.

“At some point you have to say no more,” Drescher, the former “Nanny” star who is now president of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, said in an interview at the union's headquarters Wednesday. “I think that it’s taken on a bigger scope, it’s greater than the sum of its parts. I think it’s a conversation now about the culture of big business, and how it treats everybody up and down the ladder in the name of profit.”

Drescher, 65, has been president of the actors guild since September of 2021, when she defeated “Stranger Things” actor Matthew Modine in a union election.

But for many members and observers, the day she truly became president was July 13, when Drescher gave a rousing, fiery and for some inspiring speech at the news conference announcing that talks had broken off and a strike was about to begin.

She lashed out at the leaders of the studios and streaming services, saying “Shame on them. They stand on the wrong side of history.”

Drescher told the AP that she had no intention of getting on a soap box that day. She was supposed to read a written statement, then take questions.

“I looked at it quickly and I said, ‘You know what, I