Thursday, September 30, 2021
Hollywood Vowed to Leave Georgia Over Its Abortion Bill. What About Texas?
Vanity Fair: Hollywood has been relatively quiet on the matter. While the Texas law inspired some outcry from names like The Wire’s David Simon, Boyhood’s Patricia Arquette, and her sister, Ratched’s Rosanna Arquette, as well as scattered refusals to film in the state, the response hasn’t been nearly as urgent as it was in 2019, when Georgia had its own “fetal heartbeat” bill.
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I remember the statements coming from Hollywood about the Georgia Bill in 2019, and I was really proud of Hollywood for that response. As this article mentions, it is odd we are not seeing that same response now about Texas even though those bills are so virtually similar. What Berg brings up in this article is very interesting, I had no idea that Texas was not as big a part of the film industry as Georgia and even as they mention New Mexico. So, I do suppose that Hollywood threatening to stop production in Texas would not have the same effects as would have in Georgia as Texas would not be losing so much of their income to that industry. I do wish though that Hollywood would make similar statements as they did with Georgia, at least to set the precedence that this will not be tolerated in any state.
This article highlights a pretty global theme about corporations: they’ll only be political when it benefits them. We saw this from Hollywood in Georgia in 2019 as the article mentioned. Filmmakers pulled out of Georgia because there was national attention and the optics were bad. Not because they wanted to create real change, not because they deeply cared about the right to an abortion, but because it would have lost them viewers to keep filming there. Then it blew over and the general public forgot about. Now with the same situation in Texas, Texas filmmakers and shoot sites aren’t being affected because there isn’t nearly as big of a public cry as there was for Georgia. While it might affect filmmakers ideas of shooting in Texas for the short term, this law isn’t going to cause a big shift in how film is produced in Texas overall. The industry will denounce the law then move forward with a San Antonio filming schedule next year. They won’t put their money where their mouths are.
I think it’s really interesting how the film industry’s success directly affects its ability to “flex its’ muscles” so to speak in relation to activism. Georgia’s heartbeat bill occurred pre-pandemic, so the film industry was able to take the hit from pulling out of filming there. Because Texas’ heartbeat bill is occurring mid pandemic, Hollywood production is pulling its’ punches. It shows how little we can depend on industry to help create social change, even if the people within it (actors publicly posing in support) want the change. It also shows how important it is to consider the fact that companies are not people and will never work completely in favor of larger society. Of course, considering the idea of protecting workers and their own financial situation over affecting a state that does not need the film industry to survive is semi-important. But production companies at large will use that as an excuse rather than an important consideration within acting for larger social change.
Here's my whole thing, it's all fine and good to vow this or that, but until we see films actually not being produced in certain states on the principle of support for specific issues, then I won't believe it. I believe so strongly that this is just a performative act for the public. I also believe that if it stops making them money, they're not actually going to stop filming in states too. People will come after Hollywood for being ridiculously liberal and trying to be too declarative in their support for social issues but it's simply just actors refusing to film in certain states. If they won't I'm so sure there will be 20 others behind them, that want money, and will put aside any controversial opinions aside, and go to Texas or Georgia or wherever. Sorry to sound like such a pessimistic pretentious prick but it really doesn't change anything.
I agree with the above. The bottom line is that our economic system makes it so that the bottom line will always be one of dollars and cents rather than any sort of ethical decision as far as a company is concerned. And you can see it here with them being silent since it just isn't even occurring to them to make a statement since they generally don't want to film in Texas anyway. It reminds me of oil companies cleaning ducks with soap after oil spills. The ducks still die from ingesting crude oil, but hey at least they'll be fresh when they do keel over. If it actually affected that dollar value then at the end of the day these production companies would 100% choose the option that allowed them to make/save more money.
It definitely comes down to the individual performer/technician to choose where their own line with this sort of thing is because trusting your company to make the decision for you is being very non- instead of anti.
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