Hollywood writers’ strike: Actors join picket lines

LOS ANGELES –

“Ted Lasso” star Jason Sudeikis, Rosario Dawson and other top film and TV actors joined the picket lines Friday alongside screenwriters in the first full day of a strike that has become Hollywood’s biggest labor struggle in decades.

A day after the dispute brought production to a halt in the entertainment industry, Sudeikis was one of the picketers outside NBC in New York pushing for progress after the breakdown of contract talks with studios and streaming services. Dawson, star of the movie “Rent” and the “Star Wars” TV series “Ahsoka”, joined the picketers outside the Warner Bros. studios. in Burbank, California.

“Lord of the Rings” star Sean Astin marched with chanting protesters outside Netflix’s Hollywood offices. Also on Netflix were “Titanic” and “Unforgiven” actor Frances Fisher and “The Nanny” star Fran Drescher, who is president of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

The arrival of the actors energized the picket lines outside Netflix, where music blared and the sidewalks filled with protesters.

Elsewhere, “Once Upon a Time” actor Ginnifer Goodwin stood with protesters at Paramount Pictures.

The famous faces of Oscar and Emmy winners will likely be seen on picketlines in New York and Los Angeles with some regularity, starring the demonstrations outside studios and corporate offices.

The strike is the first double strike by actors and screenwriters in more than six decades.

In recent weeks, many actors have shown solidarity with the 11,500 writers who walked away in May. On Thursday, 65,000 members of the actors’ union formally joined the strike.

The two guilds have similar issues with studios and streaming services. They worry about contracts that keep pace with inflation and residual payments that compensate creators and actors for using their material outside of its original broadcast, such as in reruns or on streaming services. The unions also want to erect guardrails against the use of artificial intelligence to mimic their work on film and television.

Many on the picket lines took aim at Disney CEO Bob Iger, who said on Wednesday that the damage the strikes will do to the entertainment economy is “an embarrassment.”

“I think when Bob Iger talks about what a shame it is, he should remember that in 1980 CEOs like him made 30 times more than their lowest employee,” actor Sean Gunn, who starred in “Guardians of the Galaxy,” said outside Netflix.

Now Iger earns 400 times what his lowest worker is. And I think that’s a shame, Bob. And maybe you should look in the mirror and ask yourself, “Why is that?”

No talks have been scheduled and the end of the work stoppage is not yet in sight. It’s the first time that both guilds have walked off sets since 1960, when then-actor Ronald Reagan was SAG’s leader.

“What we won in 1960 was our health and pension plans and the existence of residuals. That was the most important strike in LA union history, and now we’re on strike together again, and frankly, this strike is even bigger,” Adam Conover, host of the “Adam Ruins Everything” TV series and member of the Writers Guild’s Negotiating Committee, said outside of Netflix. “We’re going to win. If you gain momentum like we did, 70 days after a strike, you’re going to win.”

Conover was one of many picketers, including Sudeikis, who are members of both unions.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents employers like Disney, Netflix, Amazon and others, has lamented the strike, saying it will harm thousands of workers in industries that support film and television production.

The strike of the actors will have more consequences than filming. Stars are no longer allowed to promote their work through red carpet premieres or personal appearances. They are not allowed to campaign for Emmy awards or participate in auditions or rehearsals.

The strike caused cancellations of red carpet events scheduled for next week for “Special Ops: Lioness,” starring Zoe Saldana and Nicole Kidman, and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer.”

A “Haunted Mansion” premiere event at Disneyland on Saturday was scheduled to go ahead as planned, but no actors were on hand to promote the film.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said it was clear that the entertainment industry “is at a historic turning point.” She urged all parties to work around the clock until an agreement is reached.

“This affects all of us and is vital to our overall economy,” Bass said in a statement.

The writers’ strike had already halted much of television production, and the actors who joined them immediately led to the halting of shooting for many major films, including ‘Deadpool 3’, ‘Gladiator 2’ and the eighth installment from Tom Cruise’s ‘Mission Impossible’ series. . They are all scheduled for release next year.

The writers’ strike also shut down late-night talk shows and “Saturday Night Live,” as well as several scripted shows that had their writers’ room or production suspended, including “Stranger Things” on Netflix, “Hacks” on Max, and “Family Guy” on Fox. Many will surely follow them now that artists have also been drawn.

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Associated Press writer Krysta Fauria contributed.