Sean Penn returns to production on Gaslit after compromising that his entire crew is vaccinated in the two weeks he has left to shoot
Sean Penn returned to work on Starz’s Gaslit on Thursday, after a hiatus of more than two months after refusing to work on the show until the entire cast and crew is vaccinated.
Penn, 61, had demanded that the entire cast and crew be vaccinated before he continued work on the project, a modern take on the Watergate scandal.
Both Penn and Gaslit producers Universal Cable Productions reached a compromise, with the remainder of his shoot, two more weeks, to have an entirely vaccinated crew, according to Deadline.
Back to work: Sean Penn returned to work on Starz’s Gaslit on Thursday, after a hiatus of more than two months after refusing to work on the show until the entire cast and crew is vaccinated
UCP’s parent company, NBCUniversal had only imposed mandatory vaccinations for everyone in ‘Zone A,’ which is comprised of the cast and other crew members who are in close proximity with the cast.
They had also provided an on-site clinic to provide COVID-19 vaccinations to cast and crew members, which would also arrange second doses if needed.
The cast and crew members were also asked to show proof of vaccination when they showed up for work next, but Penn wanted to enforce stricter standards.
Vaccination: UCP’s parent company, NBCUniversal had only imposed mandatory vaccinations for everyone in ‘Zone A,’ which is comprised of the cast and other crew members who are in close proximity with the cast
He wanted to have his organization CORE provide free vaccinations, but he wanted them to be mandatory for the entire production cast and crew, which created a ‘stalemate’ with the studio.
The studio couldn’t legally mandate vaccinations beyond those in Zone A, as per terms negotiated between production companies and Hollywood unions.
During his two-month hiatus, the series filmed around Penn, but now he’s returning to work for his last two weeks of filming.
CORE: He wanted to have his organization CORE provide free vaccinations, but he wanted them to be mandatory for the entire production cast and crew, which created a ‘stalemate’ with the studio
Penn becomes one of the first major stars to demand more of a studio or a production when it comes to COVID-19 safety.
His demands are especially timely in Los Angeles, where the show films, where the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus has caused cases to rise steadily over the past month.
Filming on the series takes place indoors in Burbank, though, aside from Zone A members, vaccination is not mandatory.
Major star: Penn becomes one of the first major stars to demand more of a studio or a production when it comes to COVID-19 safety
Gaslit is a modern take on the Watergate political scandal of the 1970s, ‘centering on untold stories and forgotten characters of the time.
Penn plays John Mitchell, President Nixon’s Attorney General, while Julia Roberts plays his wife Martha.
The series also stars Dan Stevens, Betty Gilpin, Allison Tomlin, Darby Camp, Shea Whigham and Anne Dudek.
Modern: Gaslit is a modern take on the Watergate political scandal of the 1970s, ‘centering on untold stories and forgotten characters of the time