Adam Brody, Piper Perabo and More Call for Less Gun Violence on Screen at White House Roundtable: ‘Hollywood Has Been Due for a Reckoning’ https://t.co/zY2X5cr1p8— Variety (@Variety) April 26, 2023
Adam Brody, Piper Perabo and More Call for Less Gun Violence on Screen at White House Roundtable: ‘Hollywood Has Been Due for a Reckoning’ https://t.co/zY2X5cr1p8
Washington, D.C., April 26, 2023 – Today, as a part of Brady’s “Show Gun Safety” campaign, nearly two dozen Hollywood actors, directors, and showrunners took part in a roundtable discussion at the White House about the role Hollywood can play in combating the gun violence epidemic.
The roundtable follows a deadly spate of preventable shootings across the U.S. and recent Biden administration efforts to curb gun violence, including expanding background checks and increasing gun industry accountability. Among the nearly two dozen participants in White House meeting were actor Adam Brody, True Lies creator and showrunner Matt Nix, actor D.B. Woodside, and actress Piper Perabo.
The roundtable was moderated by Stephen Benjamin, Senior Advisor and Director of the Office of Public Engagement, and included remarks by Susan Rice, Director of the Domestic Policy Council of the United States. Following the roundtable, several participants took part in a press call to discuss the meeting, their involvement in addressing gun violence through TV and film, and where progress can still be made in Hollywood.
Brady’s “Show Gun Safety” campaign encourages writers, directors, and producers to be mindful of on-screen gun violence and model gun safety best practices in order to not glamourize or desensitize Americans to gun violence. As part of the “Show Gun Safety” campaign, last year over 200 writers, directors, and producers signed Brady’s open letter, agreeing to lead positive culture change by having conversations during pre-production regarding the way guns are shown on film and limiting scenes including children and firearms. The letter remains open and Brady is encouraging more film and TV leaders to join the effort.
Kris Brown, president of Brady, said:
“We’ve seen how Hollywood has been instrumental in using entertainment forums to create cultural change. Cultural views towards smoking, drunk driving and marriage equality have evolved in part due to how Hollywood visualizes and contextualizes these issues. Hollywood can do the same with gun violence."
D.B. Woodside; The Night Agent, Lucifer, 24 actor, said:
“I have lost a lot of friends and family to gun violence, especially in the first 20 years of my life…Gun violence disproportionately affects Black and Brown people... This is my community, and this is a community I love very much. I also love the entertainment community. I think there’s a lot that we can do. We are smart, we are creative, and when we all get in a room together, I believe that we can put our imagination to good work and come up with stories that are filled with emotion, that can drive some of these points home. I think there are ways we can tell stories and affect people, and continue to push the needle and push the message to [get] people...more involved."
Piper Perabo; Yellowstone, Covert Affairs actress, said:
“Changing the way we treat guns on TV and film is not a substitute for common-sense gun legislation. But incremental changes can bring awareness and shift norms and the culture around guns, and move us closer to ending this national nightmare.”
Adam Brody; The O.C., Shazam! actor said:
“Guns are prominently featured in TV and film across the globe, but only America has a gun violence epidemic. It’s shocking that 4.6 million children in America live in homes with unsecured firearms. Hollywood has a role to play here, just like it did with inspiring positive behavior change after modeling seatbelt use and designated drivers.
“This new campaign from Brady is helping TV & film not only encourage safer, responsible gun use, but it’s also pushing all of us to think outside the box in our storylines.”
“...I grew up as a kid in an inner city where I had a best friend growing up, when at age of 18 when I went off to film school, he was shot and killed with gun violence. What I never questioned necessarily was where the gun came from, and that’s something that’s certainly in the stories that I look to tell. It’s a question that I bring up in every writers’ room I’ve been in, and it is a question I still consider to be an important one. We often tell the stories about “whodunnit,” we don’t always talk about how it was done or why it became feasible. Certainly there’s been a lot of research that’s been done on shows I’ve worked on before…but along with that research I would love to do more of a deep dive into the supply line – the supply chain – of how weapons get into certain communities, and frankly how to prevent that.”
"I’ve written a lot of stories over the years that involve firearms, and I’ve already changed how I portray gun safety in the home since signing Brady’s #ShowGunSafety pledge last year.
“The cool thing about this campaign is the way it challenges writers to bring common sense gun safety to American audiences in a way that works for storytelling of any kind. Every show, every movie is different, but the message is consistent: gun safety is everyone’s job."
Adam Brody, ActorChristy Callahan, Hollywood Committee ChairMichael Costigan, Producer, Aggregate FilmsAndy Dettmann, Executive ProducerJonathan Glickman, ProducerClark Gregg, Actor/FilmmakerMarney Hochman, Executive ProducerPiper Perabo, ActorStephen Kay, Director/ProducerMichelle King, ShowrunnerRobert King, ShowrunnerDani Korehe, TV Scripted AgentMichael Kovac, Recording AcademyScott Lazerson, Senior Advisor to Harvey Mason, Jr.Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording AcademyGlen Mazzara, Writer/ShowrunnerDutch Merrick, Studio ArmorerJeff Vespa, DirectorMatt Nix, ShowrunnerCaitlin Stamos, ActivistAaron Rahsaan Thomas, Showrunner/WriterDB Woodside, Actor/Director/Writer
At the White House today with @KrisB_Brown and @bradybuzz to talk about how the film and tv can support safe storage of guns.4.6 Million American Kids Live in Homes With Unlocked, Loaded Guns.Let’s normalize safe storage. #ShowYourSafety 🧡 pic.twitter.com/aOkasHwjGO— Piper Perabo (@PiperPerabo) April 26, 2023
At the White House today with @KrisB_Brown and @bradybuzz to talk about how the film and tv can support safe storage of guns.4.6 Million American Kids Live in Homes With Unlocked, Loaded Guns.Let’s normalize safe storage. #ShowYourSafety 🧡 pic.twitter.com/aOkasHwjGO
This week, @PiperPerabo and @HandleBrody joined us and @TheWrap for a crucial discussion on the importance of gun violence prevention and transforming the cultural narrative related to guns.💻 Watch the full convo here: https://t.co/s0Da5WKEzE #ShowYourSafety pic.twitter.com/sivf1DklB2— Brady | United Against Gun Violence (@bradybuzz) April 28, 2023
This week, @PiperPerabo and @HandleBrody joined us and @TheWrap for a crucial discussion on the importance of gun violence prevention and transforming the cultural narrative related to guns.💻 Watch the full convo here: https://t.co/s0Da5WKEzE #ShowYourSafety pic.twitter.com/sivf1DklB2
Brady has one powerful mission — to unite all Americans against gun violence. We work across Congress, the courts, and our communities with over 90 grassroots chapters, bringing together young and old, red and blue, and every shade of color to find common ground in common sense. In the spirit of our namesakes Jim and Sarah Brady, we have fought for over 45 years to take action, not sides, and we will not stop until this epidemic ends. It’s in our hands.
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