Hollywood heavyweights are coming out in support of the actors strike, which officially begins Thursday at midnight.
After a month of tense negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and the major studios, talks collapsed at the midnight (PDT) deadline Wednesday, and the union’s negotiating committee unanimously recommended a vote by its national board to call a strike. SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher appeared at a press conference Thursday afternoon, where the strike was officially announced.
The actors join the striking Writers Guild of America, whose members have been on the picket line since May 2, in shutting down production for much of the American film and television industry.
Thursday morning Jeremy Renner showed his support for the strike in an Instagram Story spotlighting “A necessary Change …”
“Barbie” star Margot Robbie told Sky News she supported and would observe the strike: “I’m very much in support of all the unions, and I’m a part of SAG. So I would absolutely stand by that.”
While speaking to the Associated Press at a promotional event for “Oppenheimer” in London before the vote, Matt Damon stressed the importance of residual payments.
“What we would be striking for, if we strike, is unbelievably important,” he told the outlet. “We got to protect the people who are kind of on the margins. 26,000 bucks a year is what you have to make to get your health insurance. And there are a lot of people who ― residual payments are what carry them across that threshold. If those residual payments dry up, so does their healthcare, and that’s absolutely unacceptable.”
Citing director Christopher Nolan, the BBC reports that Cillian Murphy and Emily Blunt exited the movie’s UK premiere, due to the strike.
Octavia Spencer shared a letter of support for SAG-AFTRA from Teamsters, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), the Writers Guild and Directors Guild of America (DGA) to Instagram.
“I stand with my fellow #SAGAFTRAMembers during the #SAGStrike alongside the #WGA in their fight,” Spencer captioned the post. “And I support the many skilled unionized workers across all industries that deserve fair compensation. We cannot do it without each other.”
Trevor Donovan recommended his Twitter followers turn on Netflix to see a depiction of actors’ worries.
“If you’re not very familiar with the entertainment industry and curious about one of the key concerns driving the #SAGAFTRA strike, I recommend watching the ‘Joan Is Awful’ episode of ‘Black Mirror,'” he wrote. “It serves as a powerful warning of the growing presence of AI in entertainment and the need to address its impact promptly.”
Matthew Modine reflected on becoming “a proud member” of SAG in 1981.
“From the moment I joined, SAG has always had my back,” his statement emailed Thursday reads. “Let us stand united, artists, filmmakers, and industry professionals, in unwavering support of the strike. Together, we demand fairness, equitable treatment, and a future where the contributions of every member in the entertainment industry are valued and respected. Our solidarity is our strength as we strive to create a more just and inclusive landscape for generations to come.
Jack Quaid tweeted, “If we must strike… THEN WE SHALL STRIIIIIIIIKEEEEEEEEE!!!!!”
Taraji P. Henson sees actors’ demands as incredibly reasonable.
“Greed is going to be the end of humanity,” she predicted. “That’s what’s going to kill us all, and the things that the actors are asking for is common sense. You can’t use my likeness and get paid, and I don’t see anything. That is just highway robbery.”
Wednesday, while promoting her new film “Haunted Mansion” in an Instagram post, Jamie Lee Curtis addressed the strike. “The souls of ghosts of performers long past urging us in this modern moment to fight for our rights to exist as creators,” she wrote. “What I will say is that although I AM computer generated (in her role), it is FROM my PERFORMANCE, my sense of comedic timing and you CANNOT replicate that with a machine. I stand STRONG with my union @sagaftra”
Matt Damon, more stars share their thoughts on the actors strike. Matt Damon, more stars share their thoughts on the actors strike