2023-07-13 19:44:33
Actors and actresses union SAG-AFTRA in the United States voted on Thursday to go on strike after negotiations with production studios and broadcast platforms broke down, following the example of screenwriters (New window). The decision risks crippling Hollywood.
The national board of SAG-AFTRA has voted unanimously for a strike order against studios and broadcasters, announced Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the national director of the union which represents 160,000 actors, actresses and others working for the small and the big screen.
The actors and actresses thus join the screenwriters, who have already been on strike since the beginning of May.
The two professions are demanding an increase in their remuneration, which is in decline in the era of streaming. They also want to obtain guarantees regarding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to prevent it from generating scenarios or cloning their voice and image.
Double strike: a first since 1960
It’s the first time performers from the small and big screen have gone on strike in the United States since 1980. It’s also the first time since 1960 that the faces and pens of the industry have gone on strike at the same time. .
The strike by actors and actresses is a blow for the heads of studios and broadcasting platforms.
Since May, the only productions that have decided to shoot do so on the basis of scripts already completed in the spring, without being able to modify them. This is particularly the case of the Lord of the Rings pre-episode financed by Amazon, power rings. But without interpreters, filming will simply no longer be possible.
Only a few talk shows and a few reality shows will be able to continue.
Actors and actresses also have the power to freeze the promotion of big productions expected in theaters this summer, such as Oppenheimer or Grand Touring. And without their presence on the red carpets, the industry may have to postpone the Emmy Awards, the television equivalent of the Oscars, scheduled for September 18.
Industry leaders expressed their disappointment and said the strike was coming at the worst of times.
The group that represents studios and broadcast platforms has claimed that the actors’ and actresses’ decision to end negotiations will hurt thousands of people financially.
With information from Agence France-Presse and Associated Press
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