Hollywood Actors’ Union Announces Strike
Hollywood’s actors announced Thursday they are going on strike, joining writers in the first industry-wide shutdown in 63 years after last-ditch talks failed, with almost all film and television production ready to come to a pause.
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA), which represents 160,000 performers including A-list stars, said negotiations had ended without a deal on their demands over dwindling pay and the threat posed by artificial intelligence.
“SAG-AFTRA’s national board unanimously voted to issue a strike order against the studios and streamers,” said the union’s chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland.
The strike will commence at midnight Thursday (0700 GMT Friday), meaning actors will join writers on picket lines from Friday morning in the first Hollywood “double strike” since 1960.
Writers have already spent 11 weeks on the picket line, after their similar demands for better pay and protections against the future use of AI in television and films were not met.
Popular series ready to return to television this year now face lengthy delays. And, if strikes continue, major films could be postponed too.
The strike immediately prevents actors from promoting some of the year’s biggest releases, at the peak of the movie industry’s summer blockbuster season.
