Hollywood Actors to Join Writers in Double Strike Starting Friday
Hollywood’s actors and screenwriters guilds will both be on strike on Friday — the first double strike since 1960 — with joint picketing expected at all major studios.
After more than four weeks of bargaining, the SAG-AFTRA guild, representing 160,000 movie and TV actors, said it could not get a fair deal from the eight negotiating Hollywood studios of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (Disney-ABC, NBC Universal, Paramount-CBS,, Warner Bros Discovery, Sony, Netflix, Amazon, Apple).
SAG-AFTRA will join the 11,500 members of the Writers Guild of America, who have been on strike for more than 70 days.
See SAG-AFTRA’s Fran Drescher aka The Nannny’s viral strike speech:
The big shift into streaming has made this an inflection point for the creatives. Their demands are similar: :higher pay, success-based streaming residuals instead of fixed streaming residuals and protection from generative artificial intelligence (AI) replacing the work of their members (by prohibiting an actor’s digital likeness and voice from being used without consent or pay), The actors guild also wants a return to live casting sessions ending the pandemic trend of self-taped auditions.
Although filming has continued on some AMPTP movies and TV series with “completed” scripts, it’s estimated that the Writers’ Strike has shut down 80% of America’s scripted industry to date. The actors’ strike could end production entirely.
How will the Double Strike affect film and TV production outside of the U.S.?
Striking SAG-AFTRA actors cannot work on AMPTP movies or series, even those shooting elsewhere in the world.
Who are the AMPTP?
David Letterman did a bit on the AMPTP. As relevant now as it was then.
During the WGA Strike of '07/'08, David Letterman did a bit on the AMPTP. As relevant now as it was then. pic.twitter.com/1GZgc4BQ7q
— Todd Spence (@Todd_Spence) July 11, 2023