Adam Driver slams major studios amid strike at Venice Film Festival 'Ferrari' premiere

Adam Driver is, well, in the driver's seat. And not just because of his new movie "Ferrari."

The actor took an opportunity at the Venice Film Festival to address the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, which along with the WGA strike, have effectively ground Hollywood to a production and press halt. His film is exempt from strike rules, allowing him to speak, according to The New York Times and the Guardian.

SAG-AFTRA has reviewed and is reviewing applications that would allow talent to promote independent movies at fall film festivals like Venice, Telluride and Toronto, which are going forward with many high-profile world premieres, regardless of actor availability.

"I’m proud to be here, to be a visual representation of a movie that’s not part of the AMPTP," Driver told reporters at a press conference ahead of the Michael Mann-directed "Ferrari" premiere.

He added: "Why is it that a smaller distribution company like Neon and STX International can meet the dream demands of what SAG is asking for — the dream version of SAG’s wish list — but a big company like Netflix and Amazon can’t? Every time people from SAG go and support movies that have agreed to these terms with the interim agreement, it just makes it more obvious that these people are willing to support the people they collaborate with, and the others are not."

Actors are striking against studios and streaming services that bargain as the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The group's ranks include the major film studios (Disney, Paramount, Sony, Universal and Warner Bros.), television networks (ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC) and streaming services like Netflix, Apple TV+ and Amazon.

There are numerous independent production companies that aren't affiliated with the AMPTP, and they are allowed to film with SAG-AFTRA actors during the strike. They must agree to terms that the union proposed during negotiations on July 12, which includes a new minimum wage rate that's 11% higher than before, guarantees about revenue sharing and AI protections.

Those terms were rejected by the studios and streaming services, but SAG-AFTRA realized that some independent producers and smaller film studios (like Neon and A24) were willing to agree to the terms if it meant they could keep filming.

Contributing: Lindsey Bahr and Andrew Dalton, The Associated Press

Explainer:Why are actors on strike still shooting movies? Here's how SAG-AFTRA waivers work