'It's something you have to do'
NEW YORK--Early in his career, Walter Bernstein was blacklisted for his politics. Today, the 88-year-old screenwriter joined his colleagues on the picket line for another fight.
"There has never been any respect for writers in this business," said Bernstein, who wore a blue WGA cap over his white hair. "The writers have always had to fight for their rights. They've never been given any."
"These things are always reluctant," he added of the strike. "But when it happens, it's something you have to do." Bernstein, who was nominated for an Oscar for "The Front," is still working. He just turned in a draft of a script about Robert Oppenheimer that he wrote for HBO. A prolonged work action would take a financial toll, but he said he's most concerned about the effect on young writers just starting out in the industry.
"It's much more precarious than it used to be," Bernstein said. "You can't overestimate the greed of the corporations."
"The writers are angry," he added. "They're being cheated, and they know it. We lost a lot on the DVD, and we don't want it to happen again. It's unfair, and it's exploitative."
Matea Gold
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