‘Ozark’ Star Laura Linney Supports Georgia Boycott Over Abortion Ban
Laura Linney has joined her “Ozark” co-star Jason Bateman in calling for a Hollywood boycott of Georgia over the state’s controversial abortion legislation.
At the Netflix premiere of “Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City” on Monday in New York City, Linney said she would not work in the state if the so-called “heartbeat bill” goes into effect
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“It’s a terrible, terrible situation,” Linney told Variety. “The law is atrocious; it strips women and a lot of Georgians from their rights. Having said that, I’m also from generations of people who are from Georgia. I love the state of Georgia. I love the people who work there.”
“Ozark,” which reportedly began production for its third season last month, is filmed largely in Georgia, which offers a 20% tax credit for production companies that spend $500,000 or more in the state. “Pulling out is so upsetting to me, but I can’t see any other way around it,” Linney said.
The bill, expected to be challenged heavily in the courts, was signed last month by Gov. Brian Kemp and is among the nation’s most extreme anti-abortion laws, prohibiting termination after the detection of a fetal heartbeat. Georgia’s move is the latest in a wave of restrictive abortion laws sweeping state legislatures across the Midwest and South, eying a legal battle in the Supreme Court and the opportunity to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Last week, Netflix’s chief content officer Ted Sarandos said that Netflix is considering pulling its productions out of Georgia because of the new law.
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