SAG strike news: Universal Studios accused of pruning trees to remove shade for picketing actors and writers

Los Angeles picketers are scattered between several studio lots

‘No contracts, no peace’: Actors stage demonstration in New York

Universal Studios has been accused of trimming the trees that lined its studio lot and provided shade for striking actors and writers.

On Monday (17 July), following the first weekend of the historic Hollywood shutdown, comic Chris Stephens tweeted a photo showing the bare trees.

“Quick shoutout to the good people at @UniversalPics for trimming the trees that gave our picket line shade right before a 90+ degree week,” Stephens wrote.

SAG-AFTRA negotiators unanimously recommended a strike after talks with the AMPTP broke down last week.

Additionally, the Writers Guild of America has been on strike since early May. Both groups demand increases in base pay and residuals in the streaming TV era, plus assurances that their work will not be replaced by AI.

Fran Drescher, former star of The Nanny and SAG president, said studios’ responses to the actors’ concerns had been “insulting and disrespectful”.

In light of the historic double strike, several actors and writers have shared personal horror stories of Hollywood studio greed.

Meanwhile, Disney CEO Bob Iger condemned the threatened strike action as “very disruptive” at the “worst time” as well as calling the expectations of writers and actors “not realistic”.

Key points

• Hollywood in historic shutdown as actors join writers in strike action
• George Clooney and Jessica Chastain lead A-listers backing historic Hollywood actors strike
• Oppenheimer cast walk out of UK premiere in ‘solidarity’ with actors’ strike
• Bob Iger complains actors’ union is threatening to join writers strike at ‘worst time’
• Blade to Yellowjackets: Every TV show and movie affected by historic Hollywood actors and writers’ strike

[18 July 2023 05:00 · Peony Hirwani]

Tom Cruis asked SAG-AFTRA to consider permitting continued publicity efforts amid strike

Tom Cruise reportedly spoke with reps SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP about issues like film promotion and AI, as well as some specifically concerning stunt professionals.

According to Deadline, the actor pushed SAG-AFTRA to consider allowing member promotion of studio projects during the strike.

A source told the outlet that this discussion wasn’t specifically concerning the 61-year-old actor’s latest film Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, but it was instead an acknowledgment of the power promotion has in influencing box office results, which are crucial for the industry post-pandemic.

[18 July 2023 05:30 · Inga Parkel]

House of the Dragon hit with backlash for continuing filming despite SAG-AFTRA strike

House of the Dragon is set to continue filming in the United Kingdom this summer despite the Screen Actors Guild strike – due to local union rules.

The second season of the HBO series is likely to proceed with production as scheduled, Variety reported on Thursday (13 July). The cast of the Game of Thrones prequel is primarily composed of British actors working under Equity contracts, rather than SAG-AFTRA. As a result, Equity members aren’t legally allowed to strike in solidarity with the US union, according to the outlet.

Read more:

Emma D’Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen and Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen in ‘House of the Dragon' (HBO)

UK law prohibits Equity union from legally calling a strike in support of SAG-AFTRA

[18 July 2023 06:00 · Peony Hirwani]

Kevin Bacon joins actors protesting against Hollywood studios

Kevin Bacon joined SAG-AFTRA members protesting in front of Paramount Studios’ New York headquarters on Monday (17 July).

“I think AI is a huge issue,” the Footloose star told The Associated Press from the picket line.

[18 July 2023 06:30 · Inga Parkel]

WATCH: Hollywood in historic shutdown as actors union joins writers strike

[18 July 2023 07:00 · Peony Hirwani]

Devon Sawa claims he wasn’t ‘paid a cent’ for Final Destination 5 cameo in deleted tweet

Devon Sawa has joined the throng of actors sharing horror stories from the industry amid the SAG-AFTRA union strike, which has ground Hollywood to a halt.

Final Destination star Sawa, 44, reportedly took to Twitter on Friday (14 July) to allege that he was never paid for his cameo in Final Destination 5 (2011).

Sawa’s character Alex Browning – the lead in the original 2000 Final Destination film – briefly makes an appearance in the franchise’s fifth instalment using footage from the first film.

[18 July 2023 07:30 · Peony Hirwani]

Orange Is the New Black star claims cast members held second jobs due to poor salaries

Orange Is the New Black star Kimiko Glenn has opened up about how little the cast was paid amid the Hollywood actors’ strike over poor working conditions.

The 34-year-old joined Netflix’s groundbreaking drama in its second season as inmate Brook Soso, who is thrown into prison for illegal activism.

After appearing in 44 episodes of its nine-season run, Glenn claimed she only made $27.30 (£20) in 2020 from streaming residuals, which the actors’ union, SAG-AFTRA, defines as “additional compensation paid to performers when a production is shown beyond the original use covered by the initial compensation”.

[18 July 2023 08:00 · Peony Hirwani]

What are SAG-AFTRA’s demands?

According to their official website, the following are SAG-AFTRA’s demands.

- Performers need minimum earnings to simply keep up with inflation.

- Performers need the protection of our images and performances to prevent the replacement of human performances by artificial intelligence technology.

- Performers need qualified hair and makeup professionals as well as equipment to safely and effectively style a variety of hair textures/styles and skin tones.

- Performers need compensation to reflect the value we bring to the streamers who profit from our labour.

- All performers need support from our employers to keep our health and retirement funds sustainable.

- Principal performers need to be able to work during hiatus and not be held captive by employers.

- Principal performers need to be reimbursed for relocation expenses when they’re employed away from home.

[18 July 2023 08:30 · Peony Hirwani]

Should you cancel your streaming subscriptions in solidarity with actors and writers?

For those interested in supporting the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strike, there are several things you can do.

While it may seem counterintuitive, you should not cancel your streaming subscriptions, actor Dave Wallace tweeted. In fact, he argued that doing the exact opposite “would actually be more supportive”.

[18 July 2023 10:20 · Peony Hirwani]

Tom Cruis asked SAG-AFTRA to consider permitting continued publicity efforts amid strike

Tom Cruise reportedly spoke with reps SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP about issues like film promotion and AI, as well as some specifically concerning stunt professionals.

According to Deadline, the actor pushed SAG-AFTRA to consider allowing member promotion of studio projects during the strike.

A source told the outlet that this discussion wasn’t specifically concerning the 61-year-old actor’s latest film Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, but it was instead an acknowledgment of the power promotion has in influencing box office results, which are crucial for the industry post-pandemic.

[18 July 2023 11:00 · Peony Hirwani]

Mark Ruffalo rages against Hollywood ‘fat cats’

Actor Mark Ruffalo has urged his fellow stars to work with indie producers, following the news that SAG-AFTRA will soon be signing “interim agreements” with truly independent producers that will allow many of them to make projects during the strike, as long as they are not affiliated with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

“Then we just do what we always do – create great content and they can buy it, or we take it out ourselves and WE share in those sales,” he tweeted. “They’ve created an empire of billionaires and believe that we are no longer of value. While they hang out in the billionaire boy summer camps laughing like fat cats, we organise a new world for workers.”