'I know it's going to affect people's livelihood. But that's how things change,' stresses the 'BlacKkKlansman' director when asked about the boycott against the 'heartbeat bill'.
- Jun 8, 2019
AceShowbiz - Director Spike Lee has issued a rallying call to his Hollywood peers to join the boycott over Georgia's new anti-abortion law.
The "BlacKkKlansman" filmmaker is the latest celebrity to speak out against politicians' restrictive "heartbeat bill", which will ban terminations as early as six weeks into pregnancy.
He firmly believes moving productions out of the state will convince authorities to abandon the legislation before it goes into effect in January 2020, and is urging studio executives to "shut it down" in Georgia, which has become a Hollywood hub in recent years thanks to generous tax breaks.
Lee admits abandoning filming in the area will have a damaging effect on local firms and employees, but it's the one move actors, directors, and producers have to try and inspire change.
"I know it's going to affect people's livelihood. But that's how things change," he told The Associated Press, referencing the bus boycotts in Montgomery, Alabama during the Civil Rights Movement.
"You've got to be on the right side of history, and the state of Georgia and those other states, they're wrong."
Politicians in Alabama, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Utah, and Arkansas have also backed anti-abortion bills in recent months.
Lee's comments come after Disney boss Bob Iger admitted he is seriously reconsidering shooting projects in the state, where Marvel blockbusters like "Black Panther" and the latest Avengers films, "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame", were shot, while stars including Ben Stiller, Amy Schumer, Christina Applegate, and Alec Baldwin have signed a letter addressed to Georgia's governor, Brian Kemp, who signed the bill into law, pledging they would "do everything in our power to move our industry to a safer state for women."
The booming film and TV industry in Georgia is said to have helped boost its economy by an estimated $9.5 billion annually in recent years.
