Spiders are in but Spider-Man is out, after the US actors’ union Sag-Aftra warned its members that dressing up as their favourite film or television characters this Halloween could break strike rules.
Now into its fourth month, the actors’ strike shows no sign of resolution, after talks broke down again between Sag-Aftra and the body representing studios, networks and streaming services, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), on 11 October.
On Thursday, the union issued a guide to its 160,000 members to ensure they don’t “inadvertently break strike rules” on Halloween and “promote [studio] content without a fair contract”.
“Choose costumes inspired by generalised characters and figures (ghost, zombie, spider etc),” the guide advised, adding that members should not “post photos of costumes inspired by struck content on social media”.
Sag-Aftra’s advice follows a number of high-profile celebrity Halloween parties in recent years, which have become major paparazzi and social media events due to the elaborate costumes worn by A-list Hollywood figures. Past events have featured the likes of Kim Kardashian in costume as X-Men’s Mystique, Lizzo as Marge Simpson and Harry Styles as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz.
It is expected that the film character Barbie and TV character Wednesday Addams will be two of the most popular Halloween costumes this year, but the union is urging members to eschew characters played by real people and instead take inspiration from animated television shows, which are not included in Sag-Aftra’s remit.
The union directive prompted Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds to post on X: “I look forward to screaming ‘scab’ at my 8 year old all night. She’s not in the union but she needs to learn”.
I look forward to screaming “scab” at my 8 year old all night. She’s not in the union but she needs to learn
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) October 19, 2023
On 11 October, AMPTP walked away from negotiations and issued a statement saying the gap between the peak film industry trade association and the actors’ union “is too great” and “conversations are no longer moving us in a productive direction”.
A major sticking point remains Sag-Aftra’s push for a “viewership bonus”, which AMPTP claims will place an “untenable economic burden” on the industry of more than $800m (£659m, A$1.26bn) a year.
