Hollywood braces for a shutdown: Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence and Mark Ruffalo are among big name stars and 160,000 poised to join writers on the picket line after crunch talks with studios break down
- A ‘double strike’ of actors and writers has not been seen in Hollywood since 1960
Hollywood actors including Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence and Mark Ruffalo are among the big name stars set to strike after crunch union talks to avert a major industry shutdown failed.
The union representing Hollywood actors said Thursday the talks with studios to prevent the industrial action had ended without a deal, paving the way for a vote on the first actors strike in more than four decades.
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA), which represents 160,000 performers including A-list stars, said the last-ditch talks had failed after they sought to address dwindling pay and the threat posed by artificial intelligence.
The union’s negotiators had unanimously recommended a strike to its national committee, which was set to vote Thursday morning.
It could set the stage for performers to join writers on picket lines as early as today and disrupt scores of shows and movies.
A ‘double strike’ of actors and writers, not seen in Hollywood since 1960, would bring nearly all US film and television productions to a halt.
Under the rules of a potential strike, members would not be able to film any movie or TV series, take part in any press or film premieres or promote anything at this month’s San Diego Comic-Con.
Meryl Streep is set to strike following failed talks between the union and studios. She is pictured at ‘The Laundromat’ premiere, at the Toronto International Film Festival, in Canada, September 9, 2019
Jennifer Lawrence is set to stike after talks to prevent industrial action ended without a deal. She is pictured on the set of a Longines watch commercial on June 29, 2023 in New York City
Crunch talks between Hollywood actors and studios to avert a major industry shutdown ended without a deal
Popular series set to return to television this year would face lengthy delays and, if strikes continue, future blockbuster films would be postponed too.
Actors are demanding better pay, and protections against the future use of AI in television and films.
‘We are deeply disappointed that SAG-AFTRA has decided to walk away from negotiations. This is the Union’s choice, not ours,’ the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers said in a statement early Thursday.
The group said it had offered ‘historic pay and residual increases’ and ‘a groundbreaking AI proposal that protects actors’ digital likenesses.’ Actors are worried that their digital images will be used without their permission or proper compensation.
‘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,’ the AMPTP said.
Hollywood studios had called in federal mediators to help resolve the deadlock – a last-minute move described by SAG-AFTRA as a ‘cynical ploy.’
Fran Drescher, former star of The Nanny and the president of SAG-AFTRA, said studios’ responses to the actors’ concerns had been ‘insulting and disrespectful.’
‘The companies have refused to meaningfully engage on some topics and on others completely stonewalled us,’ she said in a statement after a deadline for actors to agree a new contract expired at midnight on Wednesday.
‘Until they do negotiate in good faith, we cannot begin to reach a deal,’ she added.
Mark Ruffalo is one of many actors who could be set to strike. He is seen at the premiere of ‘Lakota Nation vs. United States’ held at the IFC Center on June 26, 2023 in New York City
‘Oppenheimer,’ with a starry cast including Matt Damon, is due to hold a glitzy US premiere in New York, but the event could be impacted by an actors strike
SAG-AFTRA represents A-list stars such as Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, Glenn Close and all members have pre-approved industrial action if a deal is not struck.
A strike would immediately prevent stars from promoting some of the year’s biggest releases, right at the peak of the movie industry’s summer blockbuster season.
In London, a premiere Wednesday night for Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’ was brought forward by an hour, so that cast including Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon and Emily Blunt could attend without breaking union rules, Variety reported.
But a strike would derail the much-hyped film’s US premiere, due to take place in New York on Monday, as well as a scheduled red-carpet launch this weekend at Disneyland for the new ‘Haunted Mansion’ movie.
And the massive annual Comic-Con pop culture gathering in San Diego next week could be stripped of its stars.
Even the Emmy Awards, television’s version of the Oscars, which is due to take place on September 18, is reportedly mulling a delay to November or even next year.
‘We hope the ongoing guild negotiations can come to an equitable and swift resolution,’ said Television Academy chairman Frank Scherma, as the Emmy nominations were announced Wednesday.
While the writers’ strike has already dramatically reduced the number of movies and shows in production, an actors’ walkout would shutter almost everything.
President of SAG-AFTRA Fran Drescher speaks during the 29th Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, California, U.S., February 26, 2023
Some reality TV, animation and talk shows could continue.
Earlier on Wednesday, Hollywood unions representing directors, behind-the-scenes film workers and writers issued a statement of ‘unwavering support and solidarity’ with the actors.
‘While the studios have collective worth of trillions of dollars, billions of viewers globally, and sky-high profits, this fight is not about actors against the studios,’ it said.
Workers ‘across all crafts and departments’ stand together ‘to prevent mega-corporations from eroding the conditions we fought decades to achieve,’ it said.
Like the writers, who have already spent 11 weeks on the picket lines, actors are demanding higher pay to counteract inflation, and guarantees for their future livelihoods.
In addition to salaries when they are actively working, actors earn payments called ‘residuals’ every time a film or show they starred in is aired on network or cable — particularly helpful when performers are between projects.
But today, streamers like Netflix and Disney+ do not disclose viewing figures for their shows, and offer the same flat rate for everything on their platforms, regardless of its popularity.
Muddying the waters further is the issue of AI. Both actors and writers want guarantees to regulate its future use, but studios have so far refused to budge.
Members of SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild of America walk the picket line outside Paramount Studios in Los Angeles, June 7, 2023
Striking Writers Guild of America (WGA) members walk the picket line in front of Netflix offices
A weeks-long strike by Hollywood writers has already dramatically reduced the number of movies and shows in production
Hollywood has not faced two strikes at once since 1960, when members of the WGA and the Screen Actors Guild both walked off the job in a fight over residuals from films sold to TV networks.
Today, the unions are battling over base pay and residuals from streaming services.
‘You have to make $26,000 a year to qualify for your health insurance and there are a lot of people who get across that threshold through their residual payments,’ actor Matt Damon said at a promotional event held for the film ‘Oppenheimer’ on Wednesday.
‘Thereâs money being made and it needs to be allocated in a way that takes care of people who are on the margins,’ Damon added.
Many streaming services, however, have yet to turn a profit after companies spent billions of dollars on programming to try and attract customers.
Disney, Comcast Corp’s NBCUniversal and Paramount Global each lost hundreds of millions of dollars from streaming in the most recent quarter. At the same time, the rise of online video has eroded television ad revenue as traditional TV audiences shrink.
The WGA’s work stoppage has rippled throughout California and beyond, hitting caterers, prop suppliers and others who rely on Hollywood production for business. Economic damage is expected to spread if actors also strike.
Broadcast networks have already announced fall schedules heavy with reality shows, which are not affected by the current labor tensions. Independent productions not covered by union contracts also can continue.
The strike by roughly 11,500 writers has sent late-night television talk shows into endless reruns, disrupted most production for the fall TV season and halted work on big-budget movies.
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