Ron PerlmanPhoto: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic (Getty Images)
Social media has already proven to be a key weapon in Hollywood’s ongoing labor disputes, with members of the Writers Guild Of America and now SAG-AFTRA adeptly capitalizing on the fact that they are talented writers and performers, and their opponents at the studios, This Is Not Who Fall to get public opinion on their side. (It also helps that you don’t come across as complete sociopaths who want to destroy the lives of ordinary working people, more on that in a moment.)
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Of all the social media messages that emerged from the opening salvos of the SAG-AFTRA strike today, however, none were quite as, shall we say, impassioned as actor Ron Perlman’s. The ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ star took to Instagram on Friday to comment on a story that ran into Deadline earlier this week, in which an unnamed film studio exec said the studios’ ultimate goal is “to… letting things drag on.” until union members start losing their homes.” (Another called this attitude a “cruel but necessary evil. Charming!)
To which Perlman, in his (now removed) video todayHe replied: “Listen to me, motherfucker. There’s a lot of ways to lose your house… Part of it just comes down to figuring out who the fuck said that… and where the fuck he lives.” The subsequent “Be careful motherfucker,” though it’s supposed to be Though it was a polite, well-intentioned warning, it didn’t detract from the overall “oh damn” vibe of the former Hellboy star’s message.
However, Perlman issued a second statement this afternoon, and while it’s not exactly an apology — the phrase “It can’t all be about your damn Porsche and your damn stock prices” is paramount — Perlman admitted he was “heated.” on the subject, saying, “I don’t wish anything ill on anyone.” He later added, “I’ve never mentioned a single name, and I don’t want anyone to get hurt,” while acknowledging that studio executives do important work , by providing resources for the production of films. (He also spoke at length about “the soullessness of American corporations,” denouncing attitudes that summarize as follows: “We’re not even going to deal with these damn idiots until they start bleeding, and their families start bleeding.” It was it “It’s not exactly an olive branch — but still a pretty sight that’s more measured than “Let’s find out where this guy lives.”)