Hollywood Actors, Directors, Creators Discuss Gun Safety in Film and TV During White House Roundtable

Adam Brody, Aaron Rahsaan Thomas, Piper Perabo, D.B. Woodside among attendees of White House visit, organized by Brady

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.”

Aaron Rahsaan Thomas; S.W.A.T., Friday Night Lights, Numb3rs, CSI:NY, showrunner and writer, said:

“...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.”

Matt Nix; True Lies, Burn Notice producer and showrunner, said:

"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."

The full list of Brady's #ShowGunSafety ambassadors who attended the White House meeting include:

Adam Brody, Actor
Christy Callahan, Hollywood Committee Chair
Michael Costigan, Producer, Aggregate Films
Andy Dettmann, Executive Producer
Jonathan Glickman, Producer
Clark Gregg, Actor/Filmmaker
Marney Hochman, Executive Producer
Piper Perabo, Actor
Stephen Kay, Director/Producer
Michelle King, Showrunner
Robert King, Showrunner
Dani Korehe, TV Scripted Agent
Michael Kovac, Recording Academy
Scott Lazerson, Senior Advisor to Harvey Mason, Jr.
Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy
Glen Mazzara, Writer/Showrunner
Dutch Merrick, Studio Armorer
Jeff Vespa, Director
Matt Nix, Showrunner
Caitlin Stamos, Activist
Aaron Rahsaan Thomas, Showrunner/Writer
DB Woodside, Actor/Director/Writer