July 13, 2023 - Actors will go on strike after contract talks collapse

Actors are standing in support of SAG-AFTRA going on strike and are pointing out the impact the move will have on both sides.

The official strike declaration comes after SAG-AFTRA’s negotiating committee’s talks with major studios and streaming services about a new contract failed, even after the original deadline to make a deal was extended by weeks and a federal mediator got involved.

On the red carpet of the “Oppenheimer” premiere in London — moments before the cast walked out in solidarity with the strike — Matt Damon told Deadline that a strike will impact his new production company that he started with Ben Affleck.

“It’s going to be tough for the actors, for 160,000 actors. Nobody wants a work stoppage,” Damon added. “But if our leadership is saying that the deal isn’t fair then we’ve got to hold strong until we get a deal that’s fair for working actors.”

Margot Robbie, who stars in the upcoming “Barbie” movie, told Sky News during the movie’s London premiere Wednesday night that she’s “absolutely” in support of a SAG-AFTRA strike.

“Abbott Elementary” actor Sheryl Lee Ralph was nominated for an Emmy on Wednesday, but she told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview published shortly after her nod was announced that the news is bittersweet.

“We’re fighting for our art,” Ralph said, adding, “We’re fighting for what we love, and what we know people love. We’re not big million-dollar companies. No, we’re people, and we want to enjoy what we do, and we want to make a living at it. That’s what this is about.”

Director Christopher Nolan speaks on stage at the UK Premiere of "Oppenheimer" at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on Thursday, in London, England.

The cast of director Christopher Nolan’s hotly anticipated war-era drama “Oppenheimer” is standing united in the effort to support the SAG-AFTRA strike.

Stars of the film appeared on the red carpet of the film’s UK premiere on Thursday before the strike was officially announced, but they ended up walking out of the event “to write their picket signs,” according to Nolan.

Addressing the audience inside the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square theater before the screening began, as seen in videos posted to social media, Nolan acknowledged the work of Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh and Robert Downey Jr., among other “Oppenheimer” cast members.

Nolan continued that the actors who left the “Oppenheimer” premiere in support of the union that represents them join “one of my guilds, the Writer’s Guild, in the struggle for fair wages for working members of the union, and we support them.”

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has been on strike since May.

The SAG-AFTRA strike is set to go into effect at midnight PT Thursday night.

“Oppenheimer” is scheduled to premiere in theaters on July 21.

A sign reads 'SAG-AFTRA Supports WGA' as SAG-AFTRA members walk the picket line in solidarity with striking WGA (Writers Guild of America) workers outside Netflix offices on July 13, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. 

The potential economic impact of the combined SAG-AFTRA and WGA strike could cause $4 billion or more in damage, especially if the actors are not able to come to terms quickly, according to Kevin Klowden, the chief global strategist for the Milken Institute, an economic think tank.

He said this impact won’t be isolated just to the United States. The effects of the strike will spread to other English-speaking locations where American production companies are making movies and TV shows, Klowden said. 

“So London and the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and other places, which either have studios or even do post-production, will face a real impact,” he said.

Both the writers union and the actors union striking at the same time means that the labor disputes will be felt nearly universally in the US, Klowden said,

Studios are much more worried about both the immediate and medium-term impact of an actors’ strike, and the fact that Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers called for federal mediators in these negotiations, but not with the writers, is very telling, according to Klowden.

He added that this also removes the ability of the studios to isolate the writers’ strike as unique, as they aimed to do by settling with the Director’s Guild.

SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher, left, and SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, center, speak during a press conference announcing a strike by The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists on Thursday, July, 13 in Los Angeles. This marks the first time since 1960 that actors and writers will picket film and television productions at the same time. 

SAG-AFTRA’s negotiator pushed back about an alleged claim made by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) that its proposal would offer protections surrounding the use of AI likeness of actors.

During Thursday’s news conference, a reporter asked Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, chief SAG-AFTRA negotiator, about an alleged AMPTP news release that claimed that a “groundbreaking AI proposal” would protect an actor’s digital likeness.

Crabtree-Ireland said that proposal would allow background performers’ likenesses to be used repeatedly and indefinitely — all while the performers are paid for only one day of work.

SAG-AFTRA union President Fran Drescher speaks next to Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator, at SAG-AFTRA offices after negotiations ended with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the entity that represents major studios and streamers, including Amazon, Apple, Disney, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Paramount, Sony, and Warner Bros Discovery, in Los Angeles, California, today.

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said she believes fans and consumers “have an allegiance” to the actors on strike because of the joy that their content brings.

The union represents about 160,000 actors. With their strike, SAG-AFTRA members will now join the more than 11,000 members of the Writers Guild of America, who have been on strike against the same studios since the start of May.

That strike had already halted production of most movies and scripted television programs. There has been no apparent progress in ending the action.

Now, there are concerns that with actors joining the writers on strike, the shutdowns could stretch through the summer and perhaps even persist through the end of the year.

The actors’ strike is expected to bring most of the remaining productions to a halt, with the exception of some independent films not associated with major studios.

Fran Drescher with SAG-AFTRA members at a SAG-AFTRA news conference today.

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said that the 160,000 actors who will be on strike starting Friday are fighting for bigger issues, against things like jobs being replaced by artificial intelligence and corporate greed.

“This is a moment of history, a moment of truth. If we don’t stand tall right now, we are all going to be in trouble,” she said at Thursday’s press conference. “We are all going to be in jeopardy of being replaced by machines and big business, who care more about Wall Street than you and your family.”

Drescher said she started negotiations thinking a strike could be avoided, and was shocked by what she said was the corporate greed of management’s proposals.

“We are the victims here. We are being victimized by a very greedy entity,” she said. “I can not believe about how far apart we are.”

It is expected that there will be job losses outside of the film and television industry, especially in Southern California, because of the hit to businesses that support the industry and depending on spending by those in the industry. She said the striking workers’ “hearts bleed for them.”

“It’s a terrible thing to have to do, but we were forced into it,” she said.

And she concluded the press conference saying she expects the general public will support the actors in the strike, and issuing a warning that foretold what could happen if they don’t win.

“We are being taken advantage of in a terrible way,” she said. “If we let this happen to us, dollars to donuts it going to happen to you and your family, your children and everyone you work with too. That’s how threatening this moment is in our nation’s history.”

An Emmy Trophy, in Los Angeles, California, in September 2021.

On the heels of Emmy nominations this week, fans won’t see their favorite actors or actresses promoting any of their nominated or new projects.

That’s because the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) has voted to go on strike, the union announced Thursday.

This kind of promotion includes things like appearing on the red carpet at movie premieres or doing interviews on podcasts, for example. Of course, the writer’s strike brought an immediate halt to new episodes of US late night shows, so the opportunity to do that sort of publicity was already limited.

As for projects that have not been released yet, most remaining production will stop. The exception will be independent movies that are not associated with one of the major studios.

CNN’s Chris Isidore contributed reporting to this post.

Fran Drescher speaks during a SAG-AFTRA news conference today.

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher emphasized the gravity of the decision for the union, which represents about 160,000 actors, to go on strike at midnight PT Friday morning.

She said the union will not accept changes to the contract that do not match up to the changes happening in the industry.

The union is asking for increased pay and progress on residuals paid for when films or shows are shown again, particularly on streaming services.

“We’re not going to keep doing incremental changes on a contract that no longer honors what is happening right now with this business model that was foisted upon us,” she said at a news conference Thursday.

After 160,000 SAG-AFTRA union members approved a strike Thursday, the TV and film studios lashed out in a statement, saying the union had turned its back on a substantial offer for higher pay and benefits.

The coalition of movie and TV studios said it had offered actors the highest percentage increase in minimums in 35 years, including an increase in residuals and limits on AI usage.

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher pushed back on the AMPTP’s characterization of the deal at a news conference.

“It’s really egregious and disgusting,” Drescher said. “We were really so marginalized, so dishonored, and so disrespected.”

SAG-AFTRA members preparing picket signs last week.

SAG-AFTRA’s chief negotiator noted a number of key factors that have led the union to strike, citing current business models and inflation as reasons why members are having trouble making ends meet.

Actors deserve a contract that reflects the changes in the industry, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA’s chief negotiator, said during Thursday’s news conference.

“The current streaming model has undercut performers’ residual income, and high inflation has further reduced our members’ ability to make ends meet,” he said.

Crabtree-Ireland also said the cost of self-tape auditions means performers are “bearing casting costs that were once the responsibility of producers. To complicate matters further, actors now face an existential threat to their livelihoods with the rise of generative AI technology.”

He said the union has proposed a contract that would address these issues, but the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers “has been uninterested in our proposals.”

Fran Drescher speaks during a SAG-AFTRA news conference on July 13.

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher described the importance of the union’s decision to strike at a Thursday news conference announcing the strike.

She said the strike impacts “thousands, if not millions of people across this country and around the world,” including those working in different industries.

“What happens here is important because what’s happening to us is happening across all fields of labor,” Drescher, who is also the star of the 1990s sitcom “The Nanny,” said.

She added that she initially believed a strike could be averted but said eventually it was clear “we had no choice.”

“We are the victims here,” she said. “We are being victimized by a very greedy entity.”

Fran Drescher and Duncan Crabtree-Ireland during a SAG-AFTRA news conference today.

The national board of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) has voted to go on strike, the union’s national executive director said Thursday.

Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, who also serves as SAG-AFTRA’s chief negotiator, said they could not get a fair deal after weeks of talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

He called a strike “an instrument of last resort” and said that the AMPTP “left us with no alternative.”

The strike is set to go into effect at midnight PT tonight.

“All of us, union members, leadership and staff will be out on the picket lines tomorrow morning,” Crabtree-Ireland said.

The SAG-AFTRA building is pictured today in Los Angeles, California.

There are hopes by some in the industry that since writers and actors are out at the same time, that will put pressure on the studios and streaming services to improve their offers and get everyone back to work sooner rather than later. The last time the writers and the Screen Actors Guild, the precursor of SAG-AFTRA, were on strike at the same time was 1960 — so long ago that Ronald Reagan was the SAG president leading that strike.

But everyone agrees the industry is going through unprecedented change as the ways that the public consumes shows are changing rapidly, and the economics are changing with it.

Disney CEO Bob Iger didn’t seem to suggest there will be a solution in the near term, in comments Thursday morning.

“They are adding to a set of challenges this business is already facing that is quite frankly very disruptive,” said Iger, who is set to receive more than $25 million in compensation this year, about SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild in an interview on CNBC. “You have to be realistic about the business environment and what this business can deliver.”

But the unions say their members are suffering because of the changes in the business, like the shrinking amount of broadcast residuals in the age of streaming, and they’ve been pushed to the point where they can’t accept what the studios and streaming services are offering.

“The studios and streamers have implemented massive unilateral changes in our industry’s business model, while at the same time insisting on keeping our contracts frozen in amber,” said a statement from Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the union’s chief negotiator, issued early Thursday morning. “The studios and streamers have underestimated our members’ resolve, as they are about to fully discover.”

So don’t expect to see the return of many of your favorite shows any time soon.

Mark Ruffalo seen attending the Writers Guild of America strike outside the NBC Building on May 23 in New York City.

Many high-profile actors and actresses, including Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Jennifer Lawrence, Bob Odenkirk, Mark Ruffalo, Quinta Brunson and Rami Malek, among others, signed a letter urging SAG-AFTRA to take a hard line. In it, actors said they were prepared to go on strike for the contract that members need going forward.

More than 300 actors signed the letter initially, and the signature count has now climbed to more than 1,000, according to trade publication Deadline. Among others who have signed on are Charlize Theron, Joaquin Phoenix, Jamie Lee Curtis, Cobie Smulders and Pedro Pascal.

The issues are some of the same as in the writers’ strike, including not only increased pay but progress on residuals paid for when films or shows are shown again, particularly on streaming services. Streaming platforms have been repeatedly removing older films and episodic shows from their services. Reducing payments of residuals is the main incentive to do so.

Fran Drescher, the star of the 1990s sitcom “The Nanny” and the current president of SAG-AFTRA, has also signed the letter.

When the 11th-hour contract extension was announced, Drescher seemed to be addressing those calling for a tough line in talks when she said in an email to membership, “No one should mistake this extension for weakness. We see you. We hear you. We are you.”

But Drescher has since faced criticism on social media for attending Dolce & Gabbana’s Alta Moda festivities in southern Italy this past weekend. The union issued a statement saying that the appearance was part of commitment to serve as a “brand ambassador,” and that she had been continuing to participate in negotiations remotely. But members took to social media to criticize the optics of her appearing there as a strike deadline loomed.

SAG-AFTRA members preparing picket signs last week in preparation for a possible strike.

The current contract for the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) expired at 11:59 p.m. PT Wednesday.

The union faced a previous strike deadline on July 1, only to announce an 11th-hour contract extension. But nearly two weeks that followed haven’t produced any kind of breakthrough to avoid a strike.

The final day of talks included a federal mediator, which studio management and streaming services’ executives requested late Monday. The actors union agreed but made clear that it was not willing to grant another extension and that if the final day of talks does not produce a last-minute deal, it will go on strike.

The Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers (AMPTP), which is negotiating on behalf of the studios, includes Amazon, Apple, CBS, Disney, NBC Universal, Netflix, Paramount Global, Sony and CNN parent company Warner Bros. Discovery. It did not have a comment about the 11th hour request for mediation or what it hoped would be accomplished.

The union was clearly angered by the last-minute request for mediation. It said there were published reports in trade publications about the AMPTP’s desire to have mediation even before the request was made to union negotiators at the bargaining table.

The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service is a government agency set up to try to prevent strikes by bringing two sides together. Its site says its mediators can become involved when both labor and management request help. But the federal mediators have no power to force one side or the other to accept the other side’s bargaining position, or to even order another contract extension.

But mediators are typically brought in long before the final day before a contract expires and strike is due to start.

SAG-AFTRA members prepared picket signs last week in preparation for a possible strike.

The outcome of a Thursday morning SAG-AFTRA National Board vote on whether to strike will be announced at a 3 p.m. ET (12 p.m. PT) news conference, Pamela Greenwalt, chief communications and marketing officer for SAG-AFTRA, told CNN Thursday. 

The union, which represents about 160,000 Hollywood actors, is poised to go on strike after talks with major studios and streaming services failed.

It will be the first time its members have stopped work on movie and television productions since 1980, after a final day of negotiations on Wednesday did not produce an agreement.

SAG-AFTRA picket signs made last week in preparation for a possible strike.

A union representing about 160,000 Hollywood actors is poised to go on strike after talks with major studios and streaming services have failed.

It will be the first time its members have stopped work on movie and television productions since 1980, after a final day of negotiations on Wednesday did not produce an agreement.

Fran Drescher, president of SAG-AFTRA, the union, said in a statement the studio management’s offers were “insulting and disrespectful.”

The union said its negotiating committee had unanimously recommended a strike and that its governing board will vote on that recommendation later Thursday morning.

Its members had already voted 98% in favor of authorizing a strike.

The body representing studios and streaming services said it was “deeply disappointed” in the decision to strike, saying it had offered “historic” pay increases.

News of the upcoming strike action comes after a two-week extension of the union’s contract expired. A federal mediator requested by management and approved by the union joined the final day of talks.

Writers Guild has already been on strike: SAG-AFTRA members will now join the more than 11,000 members of the Writers Guild of America who have been on strike against the same studios since the start of May.

That strike had already halted production of most movies and scripted television programs. There has been no apparent progress in ending it.

Now, there are concerns that with actors joining the writers on strike, the shutdowns could stretch through the summer and perhaps even persist through the end of the year.

The actors’ strike is expected to bring most of the remaining productions to a halt, with the exception of some independent films not associated with major studios.

Hollywood actors and writers haven’t been on strike at the same time since 1960, when former US President Ronald Reagan, then a performer, was the president of SAG, the precursor to SAG-AFTRA.