Will Smith Speaks On SAG-AFTRA, WGA Strikes: 'It’s A Pivotal Moment For Our Profession'

It’s been a few weeks since the SAG-AFTRA strike started. But one of the biggest names in Hollywood has taken his stance.

West Philadelphia-born and raised icon, Will Smith, took to Instagram and Twitter, supporting the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. Smith is a member of SAG-AFTRA, and he wrote about the pertinence of this moment for both guilds.

“I wanna talk for a second about ACTING, Smith wrote. “As some of ya’ll mighta heard, my guild, @SAGAFTRA are on strike along with our writer colleagues in the WGA. It’s a pivotal moment for our profession.”

The WGA started its strike in April, while SAG-AFTRA started on July 14. Both guilds are demanding negotiations with studios for fairer contracts. In response, the SAG-AFTRA Foundation said, “Thank you for your support Will.”

Smith said this was a pivotal moment. But he also hearkened back on how far he’s come in 30-plus years of acting, expressing gratitude to a mentor of his, Aaron Speiser.

“Thirty-three years into my career as an actor and there are still some days when I feel like I’m that kid from Philly who’s on borrowed time, even though I know I’ve been extraordinarily blessed and lucky to have worked as an actor all this time,” Smith said. “It’s thanks to my friend, my teacher and my mentor @aaronspeiser whom I fondly refer to as ‘coach’ that those days when I feel like I don’t belong are fewer and further between.”

There is a photo circulating that shows Smith posing with students at The Screen Acting Studio -- a place he stopped by during a class. Speiser works at the studio, while also hosting “Coach The Podcast.”

In culmination, Smith thanked his mentor, expressing his faith in the next generation of actors.

“Coach invited me to acting class the other day and I met a group of our talented next generation of actors and they amazed and inspired me,” Smith wrote. “I’m grateful to coach for continuing to support these talented hopefuls in this art-form that I love and have been lucky enough to work in for three decades of my life! Thanks COACH!”

With a reported net worth of $350 million, Smith, 54, has been in close to 50 movies. He has generated worldwide box office sales of $6,573,218,823.

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