Hollywood strike, actors walk out of Oppenheimer premiere
The Los Angeles-based Screen Actors Guild has officially gone on strike, marking the beginning of the biggest shutdown Hollywood has seen in 40 years.
The union hopes to force the broadcasting giants to agree to demands on issues including fairer profit sharing and better working conditions. The strike means 160,000 performers will join their ranks, joining a separate writers’ strike.
The actors are demanding better pay and working conditions from streaming services, as well as a pledge that artificial intelligence and computer-generated faces and voices will not be used to replace actors. Stars Cillian Murphy and Emily Blunt walked out of the Oppenheimer premiere when the strike began, according to director Christopher Nolan.
At a news conference Thursday in California, the union’s executive director and chief negotiator said the strike is the last tool they are using. “They have left us with no alternative,” he added.
On Wednesday, the union officially known as the Screen Actors Guild. The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, or SAG-AFTRA, was unable to reach an agreement with the major studios. The breakdown in talks led to the union’s bargaining committee voting unanimously to hold the strike.
