NEW YORK — Lights, camera, pause. Hollywood is officially on hiatus as the union representing on-screen talent has joined screenwriters in striking against the studios, amid stalled contract negotiations.
SAG-AFTRA officially announced its strike would commence at midnight PST Friday, after the union’s contract expired late Wednesday and negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) fell apart. Union leadership noted that while the strike was “an instrument of last resort,” settling for an unfair deal wouldn’t just “destroy each of us, but the industry at large.”
Here’s a breakdown of what the strike means for screens big, small and beyond.
Why is SAG-AFTRA striking?
The union, representing roughly 160,000 actors, broadcast journalists, hosts and more, is seeking more than an increase in pay and improvement in working conditions.
SAG wants to ensure their livelihoods are protected amid the emergence of evolving technologies, such as streaming services and artificial intelligence, concerns shared by the Writers Guild of America, who began their strike in May.
Oscar winners like Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, and Ariana DeBose last month were among the hundreds of SAG members who signed a letter in which they laid out their demands to prevent a strike.
“We feel that our wages, our craft, our creative freedom, and the power of our union have all been undermined in the last decade. We need to reverse those trajectories.”
What are the ramifications of a SAG-AFTRA strike for Hollywood?
Members of the union will be ordered to stop performing, forcing sets that have yet to shut down amid the writers strike to do so — in turn likely delaying a whole host of release dates. They’ll also be prohibited from promoting upcoming work. Excited to see Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert DeNiro on the Oscars campaign trail for Martin Scorsese’s long-awaited, “Killers of the Flower Moon?” That all depends on when this strike ends. In the meantime, press junkets, interviews, or any posting of promotional content are all on hold.
”Oppenheimer” star Emily Blunt, for instance, confirmed to Deadline Thursday that, were the strike to break out during the premiere of Christopher Nolan’s much-anticipated docudrama, the star-studded cast would “be leaving together as cast in unity with everyone.”
The strike might also put a damper on this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. In addition to promotional panels being on the list of big no-no’s for represented actors, many studio staples like Marvel, Sony and HBO already reportedly pulled out of presentations or panels as a result of the writers strike.
Is all acting work prohibited under the strike?
Most on-screen theatrical work — such as TV, film, and streaming — isn’t allowed for members during the strike. However actors are expected to be permitted to appear in music videos, commercials, corporate or educational videos, and on broadcast news. It’s expected that non-SAG-AFTRA podcast and audiobook gigs will also be allowed. Voice-over work which has been negotiated by SAG is expected to be OK, but will require the union’s approval, sources tell Vanity Fair.
Morning and talk shows, as well as reality or game shows and the like are handled by the Network Television Code and should remain unaffected by the strike.
Is Broadway on strike, too?
While many SAG members also do live theater, live theatrical performance falls under a separate union: Actor’s Equity. As such, live theater such as Broadway plays and musicals, are not affected by the strike, an Actor’s Equity representative confirmed to The Daily News, adding: “Audiences can still feel good about buying tickets to Broadway and other live theatre!”
Who might you see on the picket line?
Because of the breadth of those represented by SAG-AFTRA, there’s a good chance onlookers will spot plenty of familiar faces picketing for professional protection.
That star-studded letter seen by Rolling Stone, notes that “what might be considered a good deal in any other years is simply not enough,” due to the “unprecedented inflection point in our industry,” was also signed by the likes of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Ben Stiller, Neil Patrick Harris, Eva Longoria, Riley Keough and Ziwe.
