After writers, now Hollywood actors go on strike as Screen Actors Guild announces strike

Almost over a couple of months after the Writers Guild of America went on strike, the Screen Actors Guild has announced that they will go on strike, meaning this will be the first biggest shutdown in Hollywood since 1960. Both the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) and the Writers Guild of America (WGA) had gone on strike together back in 1960, when actor and then future president Ronald Reagan led the protests.

The SAG which represents about 16,000 actors went on strike after it failed to reach a new labour agreement with Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers, which represents big studios such as Walt Disney Co, Netflix, etc. When a strike is announced, no actor under the SAG can do any on or off camera work including acting, dancing, singing or voice acting. They cannot promote their films or attend premieres, festivals, panels, interviews, award shows or fan meets. They cannot rehearse or attend costume fittings. They can also not negotiate for future projects.  

Both the SAG and WGA are on strike to ask for better pay, a fair share of profits, improved working conditions and protection against artificial intelligence or AI taking their jobs. The SAG has also asked the studios to compensate actors who send in self-made audition tapes, saying that actors need a modern contract which addresses modern issues.

Another issue for both the writers and actors for which they are on strike is ‘Residuals’. These are payments made to the writers and the actors from the re-runs of their films and shows. Ever since the rise of OTT platforms, these residuals have all but disappeared as these platforms do not share the audience figures but rather pay a flat rate as residuals.

The consequence of this strike by both the actors and the writers means that any Hollywood projects under production will have to be stopped, meaning films and television series which are yet to be shot completely have suddenly come to a halt and subsequently will be delayed. Various movies and series such as Marvel’s Blade, Stranger Things, etc have been delayed and it cannot be said when the production will continue. Projects by the big studios in regional languages and in certain territories such as in India, South Korea, etc will still continue as they are.  

SAG president told news agency AFP, “We, in good faith, gave them an extension, with the hope that they would make deep inroads, and we would really have something to discuss. But we were duped. They stayed behind closed doors, they kept cancelling our meetings, wasting time. It was probably all to have more time to promote their summer movies. Because nothing came out of it that was significant.”