achieve a fair deal". Barring a last-minute deal, the IATSE is set to begin its strike on October 18; a spokesman for the AMPTP said that with "five days left to reach a deal... the studios will continue to negotiate in good faith in an effort to reach an agreement for a new contract that will keep the industry working." Well-known media personalities in support of the IATSE include Jaimie Alexander, Stephanie Beatriz, Chloe Bennet, C. Robert Cargill, Ever Carradine, Matthew Cherry, Auliʻi Cravalho, Ava DuVernay, Frances Fisher, Jane Fonda, Courtney Ford, Karen Gillan, Lucy Hale, Jeremy O. Harris, Ron Howard, Joshua Jackson, Jameela Jamil, Barry Jenkins, Mindy Kaling, Alyssa Milano, Mandy Moore, Cynthia Nixon, Christopher Nolan, Rosie O'Donnell, Edward James Olmos, Anna Paquin, Sarah Paulson, Francia Raisa, Anthony Rapp, Ryan Reynolds, Seth Rogen, Susan Sarandon, Octavia Spencer, Steven Spielberg, Ben Stiller, Lily Tomlin, Kerry Washington, Bradley Whitford, Mae Whitman, Jeffrey Wright, and Rachel Zegler, as well as current and former SAG-AFTRA leaders including Fran Drescher, Rebecca Damon, Gabrielle Carteris, and Joely Fisher. WGA East said in a statement that "[w]e work side by side with IATSE's members and we stand shoulder to shoulder with them in their contract fight". After the strike authorization vote, the national board of directors of the Directors Guild of America said it "stands in solidarity with our IATSE brothers, sisters and kin... We urge the producers and studios of the AMPTP to return to the bargaining table and make a fair deal addressing... critical issues." Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins supported the IATSE and planned to strike over dangerous working conditions days before her death in the 2021 Rust shooting incident. Philippa Childs, head of the British entertainment union section BECTU, said the group was "fully behind the strike" and urged members in the event of a strike not to replace any striking IATSE members in the UK. In Australia, the MEAA said that the "unity and determination to achieve change shown by IATSE members sets a benchmark for all of us". Congressional Democrats, comprising 31 Senators and 87 Representatives, wrote to AMPTP president Carol Lombardini on September 30 to express support for "the principles of adequate sleep, meal breaks[,] and living wages for all workers". Following the strike authorization vote, Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called the results "an incredible accomplishment" and "exactly the kind of mass-movement organizing we need right now". Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA)