The Hollywood actors’ union is on the verge of effectively shutting down the American film and television industries. After a month of contentious discussions between SAG-AFTRA and the big studios, talks broke down at the midnight (PDT) deadline Wednesday, and the union’s negotiating committee overwhelmingly endorsed a strike vote by its national board, joining movie and TV writers who walked out on May 2. The vote will take place Thursday morning, with the actors union likely to make an official declaration at noon PDT; both parties had already agreed to prolong talks by 12 days after their initial contract expired on June 30.
In a statement, the union’s negotiating committee said the studios remain “unwilling to offer a fair deal on the key issues that are essential to SAG-AFTRA members,” and blamed “intransigence and delay tactics” by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers for its unanimous recommendation. Actress Fran Drescher, the SAG-AFTRA’s president, said the studios’ “responses to the union’s most important proposals have been insulting and disrespectful of our massive contributions to this industry.”
For its part, the studio group shifted blame to actors for walking away from talks and said it had offered “historic” pay increases and other benefits. “This is the Union’s choice, not ours … rather than continuing to negotiate, SAG-AFTRA has put us on a course that will deepen the financial hardship for thousands who depend on the industry for their livelihoods.”
Actors and writers join forces in Hollywood strike, delaying productions
The actors will join the Writers Guild of America, whose members have been on strike since May 2, in shutting down production for much of the American film and television industries. Any remaining projects that are currently being filmed without the input of writers will be canceled, further delaying TV shows and movies that have yet to be completed.
This is the first time in 63 years that both actors and writers in Hollywood have gone on strike at the same time. Commercial actors last went on strike for six months in 2000, while SAG members in cinema and theater only went on strike for 14 hours in 1986. In 2007-08, the writers conducted a 100-day walkout. The rise of streaming services, the introduction of artificial intelligence technologies, and increased economic pressures have altered how performers are compensated.
Hollywood strike: What makes the actors walk out?
For starters, actors want more money. They claim that inflation and the streaming environment have reduced their salary, and they demand controlled usage of artificial intelligence, better benefit plans, and funding for “self-taped auditions,” which casting and production departments used to pay for.
Drescher and senior negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland sent a positive message to the membership on June 24, but the talks did not go as well as they had hoped. On June 28, over 1,000 SAG members issued an open letter to the union’s leadership. The letter, signed by Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, and others, expressed the membership’s earnest intent to strike if all requests were not met in a new contract. With only one day to the deadline, SAG-AFTRA consented to “the AMPTP’s last-minute request for federal mediation,” which was too late to make a difference.
Entertainment industry faces major strike as writers and actors protest
At a watershed moment in the entertainment industry, the actors will join the writers on picket lines. The WGA is requesting a guaranteed minimum number of writing staffers, greater royalties for streaming TV shows and movies, and regulated usage of artificial intelligence. Many of the same issues and demands are shared by actors. On June 24, the studios secured an agreement with a third major Hollywood union, the Directors Guild of America, which was confirmed by its membership. However, neither the writers nor the actors were able to reach an agreement with the studios as a result of this settlement.
Although many American film and television sets were already shut down in May due to a lack of writers, the loss of performers will halt global production, postponing shows such as HBO’s “House of the Dragon” and films such as “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two.” The strike might also cause the Emmy Awards, which are currently set for September, to be delayed or canceled, as well as depress the roster at San Diego Comic-Con this month, which is usually packed with A-list Hollywood actors, writers, and directors.