Veep's Matt Walsh is "taking a pause" from Dancing with the Stars due to WGA strike
follow up to this post
After WGA picketed outside the rehearsal studios used by DWTS in West Hollywood and the 3rd Street Dance Studio near the Beverly Center on Wednesday, Matt Walsh (who is a WGA member) issued the following statement on Thursday:
"I am taking a pause from 'Dancing with the Stars' until an agreement is made with the WGA. I was excited to join the show and did so under the impression that it was not a WGA show and fell under a different agreement. This morning when I was informed by my union, the WGA, that it is considered struck work I walked out of my rehearsal. I have been and will always stand with my union members of the WGA, SAG, and DGA. Beyond our union artists, I am sensitive to the many people impacted by the strike and I hope for a speedy and fair resolution, and to one day work again with all the wonderful people I met at DWTS who tolerated my dancing."
SAG-AFTRA also issued a statement reiterating that union actors are allowed to participate in the show:
"The program is a SAG-AFTRA non-dramatic production under a separate agreement that is not subject to the union's strike order. The majority of our members on 'Dancing With the Stars' had contractual obligations to the show prior to the strike. Many are under option agreements that require them to return to the show if the producer exercises their option which the producer has done. By not showing up to work, our performers can be held in breach of contract and the Union is prohibited from advising them not to work.
Members appearing on 'Dancing with the Stars' are working under the Network Code agreement, which is a non-struck contract. They are required to go to work, are not in violation of SAG-AFTRA strike rules, and we support them in fulfilling their contractual obligations."
Gleb Savchenko said that his partner Mira Sorvino is struggling with the situation: "She's very supportive, but at the same time, she is supportive of all the other people who are on strike. She's in a very difficult situation whether to continue on, which legally she's allowed to. She's not breaking any rules. But I really hope, and we're all praying that they're going to figure it out, and we're going to continue on Tuesday [when S32 is scheduled to premiere]."
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