Will Smith Music Video Shoot Faces Union Protest, Dispute Quickly Resolved

Hollywood actor Will Smith was involved in a situation where a labor union, IATSE, protested outside his music video shoot in Los Angeles. The union claimed the production, managed by Breathe Entertainment, refused to provide fair benefits to the crew and fired some workers who sought union recognition. However, the good news is that the dispute was resolved quickly, and the production agreed to work with the union, leading to the return of the crew.

Will Smith Music Video Shoot Faces Union Protest, Dispute Quickly Resolved

Hollywood star Will Smith was filming a music video in Los Angeles on Friday when a labor union called the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) started a protest outside.

This music video was being made without a union agreement at Quixote Studios in West Hollywood. Dejon Ellis, a manager from IATSE Local 80, said that on Thursday, the union asked the producers to agree to union terms and pay for the crew’s pension and health benefits. However, the producers refused.

Will Smith arrived at the shoot on Friday morning, just as IATSE was getting ready to set up their protest line.

According to Ellis, about 20 crew members were fired on Thursday after the union asked for their rights to be recognized.

Stephen Trivieri, the president of the production company, Breathe Entertainment, said in an email that it was actually 10 crew members, and they chose not to come to work on Friday because the union told them not to.

However, Ellis denied that the union told the crew not to come in, saying it was the company that dismissed them.

“Firing the crew is what picked this up a notch,” Ellis said. “That was not cool.”

Trivieri stated that it was clear from the beginning that this would be a non-union production.

“While this music video features a globally recognized artist, it was independently financed and produced outside the scope of major studio or label backing,” he said. “Like many artist-driven creative projects, this shoot was built around a clear non-union structure with transparent terms and fair compensation across all departments.”

IATSE often tries to get non-union projects like music videos, commercials, and low-budget films to become union-friendly. This helps the crew get benefits like pension and health insurance. Producers usually agree, but sometimes the union staff has to show up and threaten to stop work.

Ellis explained that IATSE is very active in trying to make such shows union-compliant.

“Los Angeles is a union town,” he said, indicating that many entertainment workers in the city are part of unions.

He also mentioned that some of the new crew members, brought in to replace the fired ones, walked off the set once they realized the union was protesting.

Breathe Entertainment is based in Miami and Toronto. Trivieri said that the production is following California laws. He also claimed that some crew members wanted to vote against union recognition to keep working, but IATSE did not allow it.

“It’s our second time shooting in L.A. so navigating has been interesting!” he said.

Emails sent to Will Smith’s representatives did not receive an immediate response.

It is quite common for smaller productions to have agreements with acting and directing unions but use non-union crew for other roles. For example, “Anora,” which won the Oscar for best picture this year, started as a non-union film in New York and was later made union-compliant by IATSE during filming.

Update (12:36 p.m. in Los Angeles): The good news is that the union has reached an agreement with the production company, and the protest has ended, according to Ellis. The crew has returned to work.

Trivieri confirmed that the union “opened up a dialogue” that led to an agreement. He also stated that “The original 10-ish people are back on set.”

Editor’s Note: This article has been adapted from a news report by The Associated Press titled “Will Smith Accused of Crossing IATSE Picket Line to Shoot Music Video” (published on May 23, 2025).