THR Staff
So much of Hollywood 2023 was defined by strike rules — what talent could not do. Seth Rogen, Bradley Cooper, Ayo Edebiri, Devery Jacobs, Xolo Maridueña and others reveal how they celebrated big projects — including some big breakouts — away from the spotlight.
Illustration by The Sporting Press
In a year defined by the dual strikes, talent was muzzled, unable to promote projects many had worked on for years. For major stars like Seth Rogen or Bradley Cooper this was merely a missed opportunity to talk about a passion project. But for breakout stars like The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri, One Piece‘s Iñaki Godoy, Reservation Dogs’ Devery Jacobs, Blue Beetle’s Xolo Maridueña and The Machine screenwriter Kevin Biegel it meant experiencing a major career milestone from the sidelines. They share what they did to mark the occasion away from the spotlight.
The Bear star on having to watch her career-high run from the sidelines • By Seija Rankin
Kicking off summer at Paris Fashion Week, Ayo Edebiri was shot by THR. The strike meant the follow-up interview had to be scrapped.
photographed by Lou Escobar
When Ayo Edebiri sat for the interview of her Aug. 9 THR cover headlined “The Summer of Ayo,” she was 12 hours away from embarking on the career season of a lifetime: a Copenhagen reunion with some of her Bear co-stars before returning stateside to promote the releases of the films Theater Camp, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and Bottoms. Then it became the Summer of Strikes, and Edebiri was on the picket lines instead of the red carpet. The actress gave THR a call from the New Mexico set of the A24 horror film Opus, in which she’s starring opposite John Malkovich (“Even better than I thought he would be”) to give a little insight into what the Summer of Ayo really entailed.
Writer, producer, actor, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures
“With Ninja Turtles, it was just a huge bummer. I was so proud of the movie and worked so hard on it and was so excited to talk about it and sit in theaters and watch it with people. I very purposely populated a lot of the cast with people I like and am friends with, and I was excited to see them go out in front of the movie. And so, it was massively disappointing and really weird that I couldn’t talk about it or support it in any way. And it’s nice to finally be able to. I recently did a roundtable for it. We’re doing screenings now. You know, I’ve had things that I don’t want to talk about — this wasn’t one of them.” — As told to Lacey Rose
The writer of The Machine bailed on his big debut and got yelled at by his mom. He wouldn’t change a thing • By Kevin Biegel
The Machine writer Kevin Biegel outside the South Carolina movie theater where he ended up screening his debut with his family.
Courtesy of Kevin Biegel
I didn’t go to the premiere of our movie The Machine. At the time, the WGA had hazy yet oddly firm rules against promotion. I called writer friends, some on the WGA board, to see if there was wiggle room. There was. If I wanted to look like a dick and undermine the effort we were all sacrificing for, I could go. I did what I think was right. But I was bummed. It was the first premiere of a movie I’d written. I was going to take my wife. It’s been a rough year. This was gonna be our prize. Shit.
Instead, I got yelled at by my mom.
Actor, One Piece
Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images for NETFLIX
“I was looking at all the promotional stuff Netflix was doing for our [manga adaptation] One Piece — the Santa Monica event, the Mexico City events. I was just liking the posts from my room, living the debut of my biggest show from my house. When it premiered, I went to Japan to hang out with my castmates. We figured we could still be together for this important moment. We watched the first two episodes, then I went back to my hotel. The day after, I watched almost the whole show with my family. I pictured myself giving a speech at a premiere. But I gave the speech to my family back in the hotel — ‘I’m so happy. I love you guys.’ Being with a small group of people very close to you, it just felt very casual. It really grounds you.” — As told to Aaron Couch
The star, writer and director on Reservation Dogs talks about being unable to give a proper goodbye to a life-changing show • By Devery Jacobs
From left: Devery Jacobs as Elora Danan, Paulina Alexis as Willie Jack, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai as Bear and Lane Factor as Cheese in Reservation Dogs
Shane Brown/FX
With the strikes, I didn’t have the chance to express my feelings around Reservation Dogs’ ending. What’s that expression, if a tree falls in a forest and no one’s around to hear it, does it even make a noise? How do you reckon with the show that’s really changed all our lives coming to a close? I think I’m inching closer toward processing it.
Director/actor, Maestro
Bradley Cooper stars in Maestro, which he also directed. The Venice premiere was one of the first impacted by the actors strike.
Netflix
“We thought the one silver lining is that people who aren’t normally able to be a voice of their work were able to be in the forefront. Instead of the cast, we sent the Bernstein children and [prosthetic designer] Kazu Hiro, [sound designer] Steve Morrow, [editor] Michelle Tesoro, [costume designer] Mark Bridges and [production designer] Kevin Thompson to the Venice Film Festival [where Maestro premiered]. They were on the red carpet and did the press conference. I was thrilled that Netflix agreed to do that. I think it was really wonderful for them and also the movie.” — As told to Mia Galuppo
The star of Blue Beetle was being fitted for a suit for the red carpet when the strike was called • By James Hibberd
If not for SAG-AFTRA’s ban on promotion, Xolo Maridueña would have been doing a lot more of this.
Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images
Veteran celebrities being unable to promote their latest projects during the strike was one thing. Xolo Maridueña dutifully staying out of the limelight was another level of sacrifice. The 22-year-old Cobra Kai actor landed the breakout role of a lifetime when he was cast as the lead of DC Films’ Blue Beetle, becoming the first Latino to be the star of a live-action superhero film. Not only did he miss a tidal wave of personal publicity opportunities for the Aug. 18 release but also the chance to represent Latinos in a uniquely visible way that, to hear him tell it, was just as important, if not more so. As Maridueña said to THR last year: “Blue Beetle isn’t to make me the next heartthrob or biggest star. It’s to show people, ‘Hey, these stories about Latinos don’t have to just be about narcos or crossing the border or being a gang member.’ ”
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