Entertainment <\/p>\n
\n\tEXCLUSIVE \u2013<\/strong> UPDATE: <\/strong>The picket line in front of a Will Smith<\/a> music video shoot in West Hollywood is coming down.<\/p>\n \n\tEdged on by the Oscar winner and his team, the producers and IATSE<\/a> have reached a deal, I hear. <\/p>\n \n\tWith the 35-person crew heading back to work at Quixote West Hollywood Studios on the latest single from Smith\u2019s Based On A True Story<\/a><\/em> album, the agreement includes health and pension\u00a0benefits. Those benefits were a key \u00a0component of the dispute that saw Toronto and Miami-based producers Breathe Entertainment send everyone packing on Thursday and bring on a replacement crew today. <\/p>\n \n\tPREVIOUSLY, 10:53 AM:<\/strong> A Will Smith music video shoot in West Hollywood is facing union picket lines today after producers pink slipped the entire crew last night.<\/p>\n \n\tIATSE is on the street outside Quixote West Hollywood Studios right now after Breathe Entertainment fired the 35-person crew on Thursday over contract dispute. Already on site this morning were replacement workers a.k.a. scabs, who were brought. Now, it seems the replacement crew has walked off the set.<\/p>\n \n\tOscar winner Smith is in the building. However, technically he didn\u2019t cross a picket line as union members were not yet in formation when the King Richard <\/em>star showed up in his white Lamborghini early Friday, I\u2019m told. <\/p>\n \n\tThe DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince<\/em> vet released his first new album in 20 years on March 28. The shoot at Quixote is for a track from that Based On A True Story<\/em> album distributed by indie label Slang Records, sources say.<\/p>\n \n\tThough video shoots do not fall under union regulations, crews can seek guild mandated benefits and recognition \u2013 which is what occurred here. Which is why the initial crew was canned.<\/p>\n \n\tFellow Oscar winner Halle Berry<\/a> was said to be scheduled to show up later today, as we previously reported from multiple sources. However, even with some ex-crew insisting Berry was expected, reps for the Oscar winner got back to Deadline and vehemently denied their client has anything to do with this L.A. shoot. That lack of involvement has now been clarified to be for no other reason than The Union <\/em>star is in France today at the Cannes Film Festival, where she is a member of the jury.<\/p>\n \n\tSpokespeople and agents for the CAA<\/a>-repped Smith did not respond to requests for comment on the fluid situation when contacted by Deadline. IATSE said that all it would be saying officially right now is what it recently posted on social media.<\/p>\n STRIKE ALERT: The IATSE is on strike against a Will Smith music video produced by Breathe Entertainment and will be picketing at Quixote West Hollywood Studios today unless a fair contract is offered to the crew.<\/p>\n \u2014 IATSE \/\/ #IASolidarity (@IATSE) May 23, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n \n\tBreathe Entertainment also did not respond to Deadline\u2019s request for comment on what went down. A spokesperson for Quixote this morning confirmed the union activity outside. However, the much respected and utilized facility also said that it had \u201cno comment\u201d on the Smith video SNAFU as they \u201care not involved in the production, we\u2019re just renting out the space.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAlas, sometimes labor<\/a> laws just don\u2019t understand.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\tWatch on Deadline\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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