Fran Drescher Says 'There's No Way to Predict' How Long SAG Strike Could Last (Exclusive)

The former "Nanny" actress and president of the SAG-AFTRA union spoke to PEOPLE following a Thursday press conference announcing the strike

SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher tells PEOPLE “there’s no way to predict” how long the Hollywood actors’ strike will last.

“It just started,” Drescher continued in an interview Thursday after she and the union’s national executive director and chief negotiator, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, announced the strike.

Negotiations between the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and SAG-AFTRA (which stands for Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) broke down after several weeks of talks.

SAG-AFTRA members had been seeking pay and residual increases, higher caps on pension and health contributions and regulating the use of artificial intelligence, among other things.

Members went on strike beginning Friday, essentially shutting down production on most television series and movies.

Related: SAG Strike Rules: What Hollywood Actors Can and Can’t Do Until a Resolution Is Reached

Crabtree-Ireland, who spoke with PEOPLE alongside Drescher, added, “This strike will come to an end when [the AMPTP] are ready to come to the table and make a fair deal with our members."

"I hope that's next week. But if that's next month, or if it's two months from now or longer, I have every confidence our members will stand united and strong until the companies come back to the table and make a fair deal with us," he said.

Drescher agreed that union members would stand strong. “Until they're ready to come back to the table and talk to us, we'll make it known that they're once again stonewalling us,” she said.

Earlier, Drescher called out Hollywood executives in an impassioned speech at the press conference.

“We are being victimized by a very greedy entity. I am shocked by the way that the people we have been in business with are treating us,” she said.

Hollywood execs “plead poverty that they're losing money left and right while giving hundreds of millions of dollars to their CEOs. It is disgusting. Shame on them. They stand on the wrong side of history at this very moment,” she continued.

Related: Everything to Know About the SAG Strike and How It Will Affect TV and Movies

The actress pleaded the union’s case that the time had come for new terms under their contract.

“The entire business model has been changed by streaming, digital, AI. This is a moment of history that is a moment of truth. If we don't stand tall right now, we are all going to be in trouble,” she said.

She continued, “We are all going to be in jeopardy of being replaced by machines and big business, who cares more about Wall Street than you and your family. Most Americans don't have more than $500 in an emergency. This is a very big deal, and it weighed heavy on us. But at some point, you have to say, 'No, we're not going to take this anymore. You people are crazy! What are you doing? Why are you doing this?' ”

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Hollywood execs privately consider actors “the center of the wheel” Drescher alleged.

“But actions speak louder than words, and there was nothing there [in AMPTP’s contract offer]. It was insulting. So we came together in strength and solidarity and unity with the largest strike-authorization vote in our union's history. And we made the hard decision that we tell you, as we stand before you today, this is major.”

In a statement Thursday, the AMPTP said, according to ABC News, "We are deeply disappointed that SAG-AFTRA has decided to walk away from negotiations. This is the Union’s choice, not ours. In doing so, it has dismissed our offer of historic pay and residual increases, substantially higher caps on pension and health contributions, audition protections, shortened series option periods, a groundbreaking AI proposal that protects actors’ digital likenesses, and more."

"Rather than continuing to negotiate, SAG-AFTRA has put us on a course that will deepen the financial hardship for thousands who depend on the industry for their livelihoods. There are 160,000 members of SAG-AFTRA and over 11,000 members of the Writers Guild of America."

But Crabtree-Ireland told PEOPLE it’s the AMPTP that is responsible for forcing the union to strike.

“They can end this strike anytime. They know precisely what it is that our members need in order to have a fair deal. All they have to do is sign on the dotted line,” he said.

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