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American actors are poised to go on strike after negotiations between parties broke down.
Actors’ trade union SAG-AFTRA – who represent 160,000 performers – say they have voted unanimously to recommend a strike after talks with Hollywood studios failed to reach an agreement. The vote will take place later today.
If a strike goes ahead – which is looking increasingly likely – and actors join the picket lines of striking US writers – Hollywood would almost immediately shut down.
The effect would be felt globally – with one of the potential first casualties of strikes being the London premiere of one of the biggest movies of the summer, Oppenheimer, which is due to take place tonight.
Writers in America have now been striking for two months, and should the actors’ strike go ahead, it would be the first time since 1960 that both guilds have walked out simultaneously.
Two of the actors’ big demands are higher pay and safeguards against unauthorised use of their images through artificial intelligence (AI).
A statement from SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher called the studio’s response to actors’ demands “insulting and disrespectful,” claiming they had been “stonewalled completely” on certain issues.
She said: “SAG-AFTRA negotiated in good faith and was eager to reach a deal that sufficiently addressed performer needs, but the AMPTP’s responses to the union’s most important proposals have been insulting and disrespectful of our massive contributions to this industry.
“The companies have refused to meaningfully engage on some topics and on others completely stonewalled us. Until they do negotiate in good faith, we cannot begin to reach a deal.”
The Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) came to an end on Wednesday 12 July, after being extended from the original expiry date of Friday 30 June.
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