SAG-AFTRA strike: ‘Oppenheimer’ cast walked out of London premiere midway in solidarity
SAG-AFTRA, which represents screen actors, has opted to join the strike with writers. In solidarity, the actors of 'Oppenheimer' walked out of the premiere midway through.
FollowThe cast of 'Oppenheimer' has gone on tour to promote their movie, which will be released in theatres on July 21, 2023. On July 13, it was reported that SAG-AFTRA, the union representing screen actors, would join the Hollywood writers' strike. A double strike has been declared for the first time in 60 years. Responding to the request, the 'Oppenheimer' actors walked out of the London premiere after the strike was confirmed.
'Oppenheimer' stars Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr, and Cillian Murphy left the premiere as the strike began; director Christopher Nolan notified them at the event. Nolan also voiced support for the strike and praised the work of the Writers Guild of America, which has been on strike since May, to get equitable wages for union members.
SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher said the union's national board has agreed to a strike beginning Thursday at midnight Pacific time. This meant that the performers would be barred from promoting their work in any way that sympathises with the cause.
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PURPOSE OF THE SAG-AFTRA UNION STRIKE?
After discussions for a new contract with studios and streaming services fell down, leaders of Hollywood's actors' union decided Thursday to join screenwriters in the first combined strike in more than six decades, shutting down production throughout the entertainment business.
It's the first time two major Hollywood unions have gone on strike at the same time since Ronald Reagan was president of the Actors Guild in 1960. Actors' union president and former "The Nanny" actress Fran Drescher slammed industry leaders in an emotional statement as the strike, which begins at midnight, was announced.
“Employers make Wall Street and greed their priority and they forget about the essential contributors that make the machine run,” Drescher said. “It is disgusting. Shame on them. They stand on the wrong side of history.”
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A three-year contract expired hours earlier, and discussions had broken down between the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, representing employers such as Disney, Netflix, and Amazon.
Picketing screenwriters screamed "Pay Your Actors!" outside Netflix's Hollywood headquarters soon after the strike was called. On Friday, actors will join writers in picketing outside New York and Los Angeles studio offices.
“It looks like it’s time to take down the MASKS. And pick up the SIGNS,” Oscar-winner Jamie Lee Curtis said in an Instagram post with a photo of the tragic and comic masks representing acting.
