Will Smith and wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s production company Westbrook Inc. recently fell victim to the pandemic after ten employees tested positive for the novel coronavirus, according to Variety.
Pressed for comment about the outbreak, the multimedia company said in a statement issued to Variety on Thursday, Aug. 13, that production had since ceased on one project that involved the infected staff members. Westbrook, however, did not specify which project that entailed. A spokeswoman for the organization stated that several other projects would continue production with non-infected workers.
Prior to that, on Wednesday, Aug. 12, the media company released another statement telling Variety, “We received ten positive tests, and the crew members quarantined and remain in quarantine.” They added, “All ten people were retested and have received negative results. We will continue to follow all official guideline and safety protocols.” Anyone who came into “close” contact with those employees was told to self-quarantine for two weeks, but Westbrook Inc. did not disclose how many people that was or who they might be.
The outbreak was reported on the county public health website on Saturday, Aug. 15, revealing the company’s offices to be in Calabasas, California. However, they were still unable to determine where those ten staffers might’ve contracted the virus, all of whom were asymptomatic. A company rep said the offices had been closed throughout the pandemic and had not reopened. Westbrook Inc. said it is also cooperating with a Department of Public Health investigation.
The incident becomes the first significant transmission reported at a production company, consequently raising concerns about the procedures set in place to prevent infections. The outbreak also raises the question of whether it’s still too soon for production companies to resume function. Last month, director and actor Tyler Perry revealed that four people at his studio tested positive for COVID-19 after he reopened his southwest Atlanta facility. At the time, the employees, two crew members and two extras, were tested and escorted off the premises before production resumed.
The Smiths founded Westbrook Inc. in 2019 alongside Miguel Melendez, Kosaku Yada, and Tera Hanks. The company is the parent of Westbrook Studios, Will Smith’s film and TV production company, which is currently developing “King Richard,” in which Smith will portray Richard Williams, the father of Venus and Serena Williams. The company also includes Red Table Talk Productions, which produces Jada Pinkett Smith’s show, as well as Westbrook Media. Westbrook Studios is also working on the reboot of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”
