Hollywood is officially on strike.
While writers have been on strike for two months, as of July 13th, actors have joined them. This marks the first time since 1960 that both actors and writers have stopped work.
Production on basically every scripted film and TV series has ground to a halt, with actors even walking out of their movie premieres mid-way through the event.
How did this all happen, and what does this mean for our favourite series?
Watch the video above.
What is SAG-AFTRA?
SAG-AFTRA is a union that represents over 160,000 TV and movie actors, voiceover artists and other entertainment professionals. It functions like any other union: negotiating the best wages, working conditions, benefits; preserving members’ work opportunities; and protecting members against unauthorised use of their work.
The president of the union is Fran Drescher, star of The Nanny.
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Why is SAG-AFTRA striking?
To put it simply, there are two things actors want:
higher residual payments when their work airs on streaming servicesassurances about the use of AI in future projects
Workers in Hollywood want updated contract terms and working conditions that keep up with the changing face of the industry.
As we all know, the rise of streaming platforms has changed the way TV is made an consumed – shorter seasons and longer breaks.
According to SAG-AFTRA’s statement, this has made it “increasingly difficult for our members to achieve and maintain a middle-class lifestyle working as a performer”.
We’re not talking about the rich A-list actors here. The majority of SAG-AFTRA members are small-time actors. One 2019 report found the unemployment level for professional actors hovers around 90 per cent.
The new contracts should “increase contributions to our benefit plans and protect members from erosion of income due to inflation and reduced residuals, unregulated use of generative AI, and demanding self-taped auditions,” the union stated.
Why have actors joined the strike?
The WGA (Writers Guild of America) has been on strike since early May – and now SAG-AFTRA members – including A-list stars like Meryl Streep, Bob Odenkirk and Jennifer Lawrence – have joined.
Australia’s Margot Robbie has unequivocally joined the strike, saying “I’m very much in support of all the unions and I’m a member of SAG so I would absolutely stand by that.”
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In May, SAG-AFTRA outlined the terms of its negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). This is a group of studios and streaming giants including Amazon, Apple, Disney, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Paramount, Sony, and Warner Bros.
There was an understanding that “if the AMPTP does not agree to essential contract improvements”, members of SAG-AFTRA would go on strike.
And that’s where we are now. On July 13, the strike was officially confirmed in a press conference, after negotiations failed.
Why are writers striking?
The writers in the WGA are striking for very similar reasons to the actors – changes to the industry are affecting their livelihood, with no reassurance their jobs are safe.
READ MORE: Why Hollywood writers are striking
The Writers Guild of America is the union body representing writers across Hollywood and major television networks. They claim that streaming platforms and major studios are underpaying the writers… even though streaming revenue has soared since the pandemic.
“Writers are facing the most comprehensive assault on compensation and working conditions that they have seen in a generation,” the Writers Guild stated on its website.”The studios have taken advantage of the transition to streaming to underpay entertainment industry workers, including writers in every area of work.”
What movies and TV shows are impacted by the strike?
Essentially, production will stop on all TV shows and movies. Every SAG-AFTRA member (so basically, every actor you’d recognise) will not work on any scripted project until negotiations are reached and the strike ends.
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The TV shows that have already been affected by the writer’s strike include:
Stranger Things Season 5 – filming has been postponed indefinitely
Andor Season 2 – the writers of the Star Wars spin-off have gone on strike
The Last of Us Season 2
Euphoria Season 2
Emily in Paris Season 4
White Lotus Season 3
1923 – delayed Indefinitely
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver – writers on a host of late-night talk shows are continuing to strike. Some networks have resorted to re-running old episodes to fill the airtime.
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
However, theatre work will not be affected. Many stage actors are also members of SAG-AFTRA, a different union represents them in stage productions.
All award shows and movie premieres will also be cancelled or postponed. In a statement to Deadline, SAG-AFTRA confirmed there is “no promotion of struck work” during a strike.
We’re already seeing this in action: Oppenheimer actors left the movie’s premiere mid-way through, when the strike came into effect.
The Emmy Awards are set to be held on 19 September this year – if the strike continues that long, it’s unknown if the ceremony will go ahead.
In 1980, the Emmy Awards were held during a strike and only one of 52 nominees actually showed up.
When will the strike end?
The strike will end when negotiations are reached between the union and the AMPTP. The previous writers’ strike, in 2007-2008, lasted for 100 days, and the longest strike on record, in 1988, lasted for 153.
The writer’s strike, which started in May, has already passed 70 days, with many thinking it will continue for at least another few months.
OK, so what happens next?
No movies or TV being produced, no promotion cycles, no award shows – it’s going to be quiet for a while. And all we can do is… wait.
Studios have hinted that they don’t really want to take action and are basically waiting for the actors to give in. One exec told Deadline: “The endgame is to allow things to drag on until union members start losing their apartments and losing their houses.”
Yikes.
Have actors gone on strike before?
Yep, this isn’t the first SAG strike. Their first strike was back in 1952, and the most recent was in 2000. That one lasted a while – actors picketed for six months starting in May and ending in October, refusing to do work the whole time.
The 2000 strike was about concerns around actors’ work in broadcast, cable, and internet commercials.
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