One unintended consequence of this year’s Hollywood strikes is that we get a chance to see who the nice guys are. There are several levels to this. The bottom rung, obviously, are the outliers who choose the short-term personal gain of working on a project affected by strikes over the collective good. A step higher are the visible strikers, the performers and writers who are outside the studios picketing.
Then, another level up, are those who have found ways to fund their crews. This is important, since the crew members who are not in the striking unions are struggling to find work. Projects such as the recent Hollywood auction (where people could bid to have Natasha Lyonne help them complete a crossword) and Strike Force Five (in which the late-night talkshow hosts made a podcast designed to raise money for their crews) are perfect examples of this.
