Tens of thousands of Hollywood actors will join writers in the first industry-wide walkout in 63 years on Thursday at midnight, virtually putting an end to the massive film and television industry.
After last-ditch negotiations with studios failed to reach an agreement about their demands regarding declining pay and the threat posed by artificial intelligence, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) issued a strike order.
“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,” SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher told a press conference, following the union board’s unanimous vote to strike.
“We are all going to be in jeopardy of being replaced by machines and big business.”
In the first Hollywood double strike since 1960, actors will join writers on picket lines as the walkout officially begins at 0700 GMT on Friday.
After their similar demands were not met, writers have spent 11 weeks protesting outside the Disney and Netflix corporate offices.
Popular television series will experience significant delays as a result of the closure of almost all projects and film sets.
The schedules of movie studios have already started to change, and if the strikes continue, significant movie releases may follow.
At the height of the summer blockbuster season in the film industry, a strike stops performers from promoting some of the biggest films of the year right away.
In support of the strike, the actors of the eagerly anticipated new movie “Oppenheimer” skipped the ritzy London premiere.
“We know it’s a critical time at this point in the industry and the issues that are involved need to be addressed — there are difficult conversations,” British actor Kenneth Branagh said on the red carpet just before the strike was announced.
“I know everybody’s trying to get a fair deal, that’s what’s required, so we’ll support that.”
