James Cromwell praises Succession writers amid ongoing strikes

"All of us win when the writers win."

The latest episode of Succession, the penultimate of the entire series, gave us one of the best moments of the season so far. James Cromwell, who plays Logan Roy's brother Ewan, doesn't appear often in the show, but when he does he usually commands every scene. This week it was no different and the Babe star's character gave a speech at his brother's funeral that left viewers in awe. However well he delivered it, though, the speech would be nothing without the fantastic writers behind the scenes. The 83-year-old was first to note this and took to Twitter to praise them, amid the ongoing Hollywood writers strike. While entirely of his own doing this time, Cromwell's words would make Ewan Hirsch himself proud.

"It begins with the words. Nothing happens without them. Sometimes, the writing achieves transcendence, but, in every case, it’s seminal. I got to a give a brilliant speech recently, which not only explicated my and my brother’s characters, it illuminated an entire narrative. "This is what great writers do. And they need to be compensated in accordance with their contribution. At the very least, they need to be able to provide for themselves and their families." "In this era of corporate greed and union busting, management seems to hold all the cards. Except for the most important ones: Unity; Solidarity; Fraternity. All of us win when the writers win. And we will win. Union! Strike!"

It begins with the words. Nothing happens without them. Sometimes, the writing achieves transcendence, but, in every case, it’s seminal. I got to a give a brilliant speech recently, which not only explicated my and my brother’s characters, it illuminated an entire narrative. 1/3

— James Cromwell ? (@jamesocromwell) May 22, 2023

The Hollywood writers strike enters its fourth week.

The WGA writers strike is currently in its fourth week after Hollywood writers put down their pens on Tuesday, May 2. Among the demands from the strikers include streaming residuals payment, writer's rooms to be increased and safeguards to be put in place against the threat of AI on the future of writing. A deal was unable to be struck before the set day earlier this month and writers will strike until a new agreement is reached. Consequences of the strike are already being felt, with multiple shows like Stranger Things, Yellowjackets and upcoming Marvel movie Blade all shutting down their operations amid the action. The last strike in 2007 lasted for 100 days, with repercussions felt throughout the industry for years after.

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