The cast of new movie Oppenheimer walked out of the UK premiere in London ”to go and write their picket signs” ahead of the announcement Hollywood actors were going on strike.
On Thursday evening, lead actors of Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated war biographic, including Cillian Murphy, Matt Damon, and Emily Blunt walked out of the film’s premiere at the Odeon Luxe in Leicester Square in solidarity with US actors union Sag-Aftra.
“You’ve seen them here earlier on the red carpet,” Nolan announced to the cinema’s audience.
“Unfortunately, they’re off to write their picket signs for what we believe to be an imminent strike by Sag, joining one of my guilds, the Writers Guild, in the struggle for fair wages for working members of the unions, and we support them.”
Florence Pugh, Robert Downey Jr, Sir Kenneth Branagh and Rami Malek also left.
Soon after, Sag-Aftra announced its first major members strike in over 40 years.
The Oppenheimer premiere was moved forward an hour so that the cast could walk the red carpet before the announcement.
Arriving on the red carpet ahead of the screening, British actress Blunt warned that the cast would be leaving “in unity” if the strike was announced.
She told US outlet Deadline: “I think right now we are just sorting of ... I hope everyone makes a fair deal and we are here to just celebrate this movie.
“And if they call it, we’ll be leaving together as a cast in unity with everyone.”
When asked if she is “upping sticks”, she replied: “We’re going to have to. We are going to have to. We will see what happens, but right now it’s a joy to be together.”
The decision to strike came after negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) failed to produce new contracts for members on Thursday.
It comes after more than four weeks of bargaining with the AMPTP, who represent major studios and streamers, including Amazon, Apple, Disney, Netflix, Paramount, and Warner Bros Discovery.
The union wants streaming giants to agree to a fairer split of profits and better working conditions.
The strike was announced by union president Fran Drescher and will start at midnight Pacific Time in the US - 8am BST.
A statement from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPT) said: “We are deeply disappointed that Sag-Aftra has decided to walk away from negotiations.
“This is the union’s choice, not ours.
“In doing so, it has dismissed our offer of historic pay and residual increases, substantially higher caps on pension and health contributions, audition protections, shortened series option periods, a ground-breaking AI proposal that protects actors’ digital likenesses, and more.
“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.”
Nearly 98% (97.91%) of the 65,000 members who cast votes were in favour, Sag-Aftra said.
Announcing the strike at a press conference on Thursday, Drescher gave an impassioned speech in which she it was a "very seminal hour" for the union.
"The gravity of this move is not lost on me ... it's a very serious thing that impacts thousands if not millions of people,” she said.
"This is a moment of history that is a moment of truth. If we don't stand tall now we are all going to be in trouble.
"The jig is up AMPTP, we stand tall, you need to wake up and smell the coffee. You cannot exist without us."
Asked how long the strike would last, Ms Drescher said: "That's up to them, we are open to talking to them tonight.
"All of this is because of their behaviour, it's up to them if they want to talk in a normal way."
Meanwhile, British actors union Equity said it stands "full square behind our sister union", stating it has also been experiencing "bullish engagers attempting to undermine its collectively bargained agreements".
The general secretary of Equity, Paul W Fleming, said Equity had been in "constant contact" with Sag-Aftra during the negotiations, adding that it will "continue to work closely and collaboratively on advice for artists working in the United Kingdom as the situation develops".
It is now anticipated the strike will affect upcoming award shows, premieres, events and film festivals around the world, including the Toronto and Venice film festivals, and the 75th Emmys.
