By agreeing to extend contract talks with Hollywood studios on Friday, the union that represents 160,000 actors and artists avoided a potentially disastrous strike until at least July 12. The Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) and companies like Netflix and Disney had been in protracted negotiations, but as a deadline of midnight drew near, both sides indicated they will continue to speak.
According to a statement released by SAG-AFTRA, the existing contract has been extended until July 12 at midnight, Los Angeles time, and a media embargo will continue to be in place. There were concerns that the writers and actors would strike together, triggering a “double strike” that had not occurred in more than 60 years and that would have affected almost all US film and television productions.
Actors are calling for higher pay to keep up with inflation
If negotiations fail, SAG-AFTRA members, who range from A-list celebrities to extras, have already endorsed industrial action. Actors are calling for higher pay to keep up with inflation and assurances for their future financial security, just like writers who have already spent nine weeks on the picket lines. Actors receive money known as “residuals” in addition to salaries when they are actively working every time a movie or television programme they starred in is broadcast on a network or cable. This is especially useful when actors are in between projects.
However, modern streaming services like Netflix and Disney+ do not reveal the number of viewers for their programmes and charge a pitiful fixed amount for every programme available on their platforms, regardless of how well-liked it may be. “Residuals are our livelihood in between projects,” said 48-year-old Shon Lange, whose resume includes small roles on television shows such as NCIS: Los Angeles and The Terminal List. “For those of us who aren’t as lucky to be going from project to project yet, residuals put food on the table, they help put my kid in school. So it’s very important.”
The entertainment sector is at an “unprecedented inflexion point”
A walkout by the actors would put an end to nearly everything since the writers’ strike already significantly limited the number of films and television programmes under production. Some reality TV, cartoon, and discussion shows would still air, but even well-known occasions like the television Emmy Awards, scheduled for September 18, would be in jeopardy. Popular shows that were scheduled to return to television this autumn would be postponed. Blockbuster films might also be delayed in the future.
Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lawrence, both Oscar winners, were among the high-profile actresses who signed an open letter last week stating that they were prepared to walk out unless SAG-AFTRA could come to a “transformative deal.” According to the letter, the entertainment sector is at an “unprecedented inflexion point.” Actors also want guarantees to regulate the future use of artificial intelligence. “We need to modernize the contracts for new technologies,” 52-year-old actress Kim Donovan told AFP, saying she was worried about studios using the likeness or voice of an actor without offering compensation. A-list actors “have the bigger voices — we need their support,” she said. “Most actors have to live from gig to gig.”
