Mark Ruffalo assumes he's "already on a list" for opposing the merger of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery.
While appearing on the Thursday (May 14) episode of the I've Had It podcast, the Oscar nominee told host Jennifer Welch that many people in Hollywood were initially afraid to publicly oppose the merger.
Ruffalo said entertainers feared retaliation from Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison and his billionaire father, Larry Ellison, who is also the co-founder of Oracle.
“It's interesting because a lot of people off the bat were afraid,” Ruffalo said near the eight-minute mark in the video below. “They're afraid because, to quote one prominent agent whose name I won't divulge, ‘These are some vindictive motherfuckers, the Ellisons.’”
The Task actor continued, “But I have to say the few who have been fearful have already started to change and come out. Since that time, we've had another 2,000 people sign on to the letter. What we know is that courage is contagious and that there’s safety in numbers. A lot of the people on this letter are people who either can afford to be there, like myself, or those who can't afford to not be there. They're fighting for their lives. The stakes are very, very high.”
Ruffalo pointed to the Disney-Fox merger as an example of what he believes happens after major media consolidation, saying the industry lost jobs, shows, and films that were in development.
The actor also warned about the merger's potential impact on journalism because the Ellisons would control both CBS and CNN.
He criticized CBS for recently platforming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 60 Minutes, referring to Netanyahu as an "accused war criminal.”
“He would have never been on 60 Minutes outside of this regime,” Ruffalo said, adding that journalists have also started signing onto the opposition campaign.
Ruffalo said Hollywood agencies would also see their clients “suffer more from sitting back and letting this happen than getting out and fighting next to us—the unions too."
He added, “I just want to speak to that fear thing, because I have fear. I’m not doing this because I’m fearless. I’m doing this because I know we have to. And I know that no matter what, if I don’t speak out, it’s the same outcome. I’m already on a list, I’m already not a friend of these people. And so, you’re either gonna fight or you’re gonna lay down.”
In March, Netflix walked away from its competing bid for Warner Bros. after Paramount Skydance submitted what was described as a superior $31-per-share offer.
TMZ reported the proposed acquisition is valued at $110 billion, while Deadline reported Netflix had earlier signed an $82.7 billion deal with Warner Bros. Discovery before the Ellison-backed takeover attempt emerged.
The opposition letter was organized by the Committee for the First Amendment, the Future Film Coalition, the Writers Guild of America, and the Democracy Defenders Fund.
