The actors in Hollywood have officially started a strike. After negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) failed, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) announced a strike today. The announcement comes two months after the Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike on May 2.
Actors including Matt Damon walked out of the London premiere of the historical epic Oppenheimer to “write their picket signs“, said director Christopher Nolan after the strike was announced. Higher pay and protections from unauthorized use of their photos by AI are two of the main demands of the actors.
Matt Damon Shares Why SAG-AFTRA Strike Is ‘unbelievably important’
Following four weeks of unproductive talks with the studios, SAG-AFTRA, the organization representing 160,000 television and film actors in television and cinema, has decided to go on strike.
In an interview with the Associated Press at an Oppenheimer promotional event in London, Matt Damon emphasized the significance of residual payments.
“What we would be striking for, if we strike, is unbelievably important,” he told the outlet. “We got to protect the people who are kind of on the margins. 26,000 bucks a year is what you have to make to get your health insurance. And there are a lot of people who ― residual payments are what carry them across that threshold. If those residual payments dry up, so does their healthcare, and that’s absolutely unacceptable.”
“This isn’t an academic exercise. This is real life and death stuff. Hopefully, we get to a resolution quickly. No one wants a work stoppage, but we’ve got to get a fair deal,” Demon added.
“It’s the difference between having health care and not for a lot of actors. We got to do what’s right by them.”
Hollywood has not had simultaneous strikes since 1960 when members of the WGA and the SAG both went on strike for unpaid residuals from films sold to TV networks.
Response from AMPTP and the Halt in Hollywood
As workers across the industry feel frustrated with the changes brought on by streaming, Hollywood has been absorbed in an unprecedented display of force. And, just like their writing counterparts, actors are also fighting for protection from the rise of AI, general salary rises, and increases in streaming residual income. Hollywood is likely to come to a near standstill as a result of the decision by actors to join the writers on strike.
AMPTP – which represents the likes of Netflix, Disney, and other studios – said it was “deeply disappointed” by the union’s decision.
It added: “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 groundbreaking AI proposal that protects actors’ digital likenesses, and more.”
Due to the strike, a considerable amount of work will be impossible for movies currently in production. Even when filming has already been completed, actors won’t be available for reshoots or other crucial steps in the filmmaking process.
Hollywood’s biggest names won’t be able to attend events promoting new or upcoming films. There is a chance that events like the Emmys and Comic-Con will be postponed or scaled back.
The “double strike” by both unions is the first such action since 1960 when the SAG was led by actor Ronald Reagan, who was still a long way from being a politician and the president of the United States.
Source: YouTube
