Drew Barrymore's co-head writer Cristina Kinon calls on her to 'stand in solidarity' with strike

Cristina Kinon, the co-head writer of The Drew Barrymore Show, has called on her boss to "stand in solidarity" with the WGA strike.

The Charlie's Angels actress received backlash when she announced on Sunday that she was going to film season four of her talk show despite the ongoing writers' and actors' strikes. Members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) picketed her New York studio during tapings this week.

In an interview with The Daily Beast, Kinon called Barrymore's decision "frustrating" because she believes "it will prolong the strike, and we just want it to end". Despite filming being already underway, Kinon insisted it was "not too late" for the production to shut down and "stand in solidarity with us".

Kinon added, "I don't see how what I do is different from writing for a scripted show, or writing feature films - which I also do. We're all trying to make a career out of writing, and the AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers) is trying to slowly chip away at that. And they wouldn't have anything without writers; writers are the seed of all of creation."

While Barrymore is not violating SAG-AFTRA rules as a host, her show does use WGA members like Kinon. This means that the recently taped episodes will not feature any writing work covered by the WGA.

Kinon also acknowledged that the show employs hundreds of people so she understands Barrymore's "perspective of wanting to protect your cast, your crew and your staff".

The 50 First Dates actress was dropped as the host of the National Book Awards in November over her decision to resume the show, which will return to U.S. screens on 18 September.