If you’re someone who pays attention to US politics, then you’re likely to already be aware of the controversial “heartbeat” bill that is making its way through Georgia legislation. The anti-choice bill would deem it a criminal offense to receive an abortion as early as six weeks after conception. Many experts say that this would account for almost every abortion scenario. As you might imagine, any new law or restriction surrounding women’s reproductive rights tends to ignite a fiery debate. And that has been the case with this law, which has now involved many Hollywood figures.
In light of the bill making its way through the state legislature, many Hollywood filmmakers, actors, and studios have vocalized their displeasure by vowing to never do business in Georgia, a state which has long been one of the biggest locations to film in the world. But according to Governor Brian Kemp (via AJC), he’s not going to be swayed by the opinions of people outside of his state, especially celebrities.
“I understand that some folks don’t like this new law. I’m fine with that,” he said. “We’re elected to do what’s right – and standing up for precious life is always the right thing to do.”
He continued, “We are the party of freedom and opportunity. We value and protect innocent life — even though that makes C-list celebrities squawk.”
For perspective, those “C-list” people include Sean Penn, Alec Baldwin, Mia Farrow, Kerry Washington, Gabrielle Union, Zoe Kravitz, Christina Applegate, Ben Stiller, Bradley Whitford, Tracee Ellis Ross, Uzo Aduba, and Don Cheadle, who have all publicly vowed to not work in Georgia.
Other Hollywood figures, who didn’t sign a boycott but are openly against the legislation are Jameela Jamil, Natalie Portman, Judd Apatow, J.J. Abrams, and Jordan Peele. The latter two gentlemen have vowed to donate 100% of their episodic earnings for the upcoming series “Lovecraft Country” to ACLU of Georgia and Fair Fight Georgia, who are fighting the controversial bill.
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Jason Bateman, who stars in Netflix’s “Ozark,” which films in Georgia, has said that he wouldn’t return to the state to film if the bill is passed. Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, who are about to begin filming “Hillbilly Elegy” in Georgia over the summer have stated that the production will continue as planned, considering people have been hired. However, if the law is passed and goes into effect, “we will boycott the state as a production center.”
However, the Governor is partially correct in the idea that the folks that have spoken up from Hollywood aren’t the biggest fish in the Georgia pond, so to speak. Netflix, Warner Bros, and Disney are all major players in the state, with Netflix spending the most, according to reports. Though these studios have remained silent, it is believed that they are hoping that the law is deemed unconstitutional and will not go into effect.
That being said, if it does go into effect in January 2020, all eyes will be on those studios to see what stance they take. Because if Netflix, WB, and Disney back out of the state with their hundreds of millions of dollars, that could perhaps change the mind of some lawmakers.