Is Elizabeth Hurley a union-buster, or just an actress who doesn’t pay much attention to current events? The Screen Actors Guild is trying to determine whether Hurley should be suspended, fined or otherwise punished by the union after learning that she taped an Estee Lauder fragrance commercial last week in New York.
SAG and the American Federation of Television and Radio Arts have been on strike since April, refusing TV and radio commercials due to a high-profile pay dispute.
“She was completely unaware of the situation because she doesn’t live in this country and she is extremely apologetic about it,” Tracey Jacobs, Hurley’s agent, told Reuters.
“Had she known it was struck work, she would have never done it. She is very supportive of her union.”
The famed model-turned-actress, who’s probably better known for her long romance and recent breakup with Hugh Grant than for her movies, will get the benefit of the doubt until SAG finishes looking into the matter.
“What her people have told us is that she was unaware of the situation,” said SAG spokesman Greg Krizman. “That’s part of what we’re trying to find out.”
According to reports, union supporters want Hurley to urge Estee Lauder to withdraw the yet-unaired commercial, but Hurley might not want to do that because she’s under contract with the perfume purveyor.
