Dozens of famous faces have joined the picket lines in support of the Hollywood strikes, including Kevin Bacon, Susan Sarandon, Awkwafina, Paul Dano and Olivia Wilde.
The Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists’ (SAG-AFTRA) strike against Hollywood production houses was called recently after talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) collapsed last week.
Actors are demanding increases in base pay and residuals. Also included in their demands are guarantees from studio and production companies about how AI will be used, including with their likeness, and that they will be compensated when any of their work is used to train AI.
Additionally, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) has been on strike since early May with similar stipulations. It marks the first time in more than 60 years that actors and writers have gone on strike simultaneously.
Since the writers’ strike was announced a number of films and TV shows have shut down production in solidarity. You can find out which have been affected here.
The AMPTP said in a statement that a strike is “certainly not the outcome we hoped for”, saying that “studios cannot operate without the performers that bring our TV shows and films to life”.
“The Union has regrettably chosen a path that will lead to financial hardship for countless thousands of people who depend on the industry,” it added.
The actors’ guild president, Fran Drescher, previously released a statement that said: “The companies have refused to meaningfully engage on some topics and on others completely stonewalled us. Until they do negotiate in good faith, we cannot begin to reach a deal.”
See photos and videos of famous actors who have joined the picket line in recent days below.
Kevin Bacon (Footloose, Apollo 13, X-Men: First Class)
Susan Sarandon (Thelma & Louise, Dead Man Walking, The Rocky Horror Picture Show)
“The corporate greed that the studio shows has made it very difficult for people to have lives.”
— Actress Susan Sarandon, as she joins the SAG-AFTRA strike in New York City pic.twitter.com/Bg927Qc99J
— The Recount (@therecount) July 14, 2023
Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians, The Farewell, Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings)
Paul Dano (The Batman, The Fabelmans, Little Miss Sunshine)
Olivia Wilde (House, Tron: Legacy)
Stars on Strike:
Olivia Wilde supporting the Cause. pic.twitter.com/PPz2LxZkTB
— Derek St. John (@dieter117 on #Threads) (@Dieter117) July 15, 2023
Allison Janney (I, Tonya, The West Wing, Masters Of Sex)
Jason Sudeikis (Ted Lasso, Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Portlandia)
Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad)
Adam Scott (Severance, Parks And Recreation) and Martin Starr (Adventureland, Spider-Man films)
Christian Slater (True Romance, Star Wars movies)
Yvette Nicole Brown (Community, Avengers: Endgame)
Rosario Dawson (The Mandalorian, The Book Of Boba Fett, Sin City)
Hilary Duff (Lizzie McGuire, Younger)
Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart), Logan Lerman (The Perks Of Being A Wallflower) and Joey King (Fargo)
Elsewhere, Mark Ruffalo has urged fellow actors and writers to work together to make independent projects to cut out Hollywood’s “fat cats”.
The actor posted a thread on Twitter on Saturday (July 15) in response to the SAG-AFTRA strike, which began last week.
In a post in support of the strike, Ruffalo wrote: “How about we all jump into indies now? Content creators create a film & TV-making system alongside the studio & streaming networks? So there is actual competition.”
Ron Perlman, meanwhile, as clarified a “heated” remark he made in response to a quote from a studio executive amid the Hollywood strikes.