Two months after the start of the writers’ strike, will the actors bring Hollywood to its knees? The suspense hovers in the United States in the face of the possibility of a double social movement, which could begin this weekend and would cause the cessation of almost all film and television productions.
The deadline set for negotiations between the employers of the major studios and streaming platforms and the actors’ union (SAG-AFTRA) is Friday midnight in Los Angeles. And the 160,000 members of the organization have almost unanimously approved the principle of a strike, if no agreement on a new collective agreement is found.
Like the scriptwriters, already on strike since the beginning of May, the actors are demanding better remuneration to fight against inflation and the precariousness of the profession, but also guarantees in the face of potential upheavals linked to the use of artificial intelligence. .
A first since 1960
A double social movement bringing together actors and screenwriters would be a first in Hollywood since 1960, when Ronald Reagan led a major strike that led to major concessions from the studios and consecrated the political stature of an actor who later became president. the United States.
Already largely slowed down by the screenwriters’ strike, Hollywood would find itself completely at a standstill: the actors are able to freeze not only productions based on scripts already completed before May, but also the promotion of blockbusters expected in theaters this summer, Barbie, Oppenheimer, Gran Turismoetc.
Only a few talk shows and reality shows could continue. And some big events like the Emmy Awards, which award the equivalent of the television Oscars in September, would be threatened.
Streaming, singled out
“People who aren’t in this industry, and even some who are, vastly overestimate how much money actors make – it’s assumed that if you see someone on TV, they must be rich“, says actress Rebecca Metz. “But that hasn’t been the case for a few years now.“
Earning a living has become “extremely difficult“, insists this actress, who notably interpreted supporting roles in the series Better Things And Shameless. “I know a lot of people at my level who take a second job“, she says.
As for screenwriters, the shoe pinches in particular at the level of “residual” remuneration, due to each rerun of a film or series. Consequent during a televised passage because based on the advertising model, these emoluments are much lower for streaming platforms, which do not communicate their audience figures.
For a rebroadcast on Netflix or Disney +, the actors thus receive a fixed remuneration, regardless of the popularity of their production. “I’ve seen my residual income decline over the past 10-15 years“, reports Rebecca Metz, specifying that they now represent only one”lowercase fraction“of those of yesteryear. A serious problem for many actors, she recalls, because it is necessary to reach a minimum remuneration to benefit from health insurance.
Extension of negotiations?
Nobody knows yet if the strike will take place, because the two parties are pouring out very little. The former star of the series A nanny from hell and President of SAG-AFTRA, Fran Drescher, posted a video message on Friday to report “extremely productive negotiations“, and promised a “decisive agreement“. But the union’s chief negotiator, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, expressed concern about the “very narrow window” to reach an agreement. Enough to fuel speculation about a possible temporary extension of the negotiations.
The issue of artificial intelligence also complicates the talks, as players want safeguards to regulate its future use, especially in terms of voice cloning. “There is currently no protection against a producer taking our voice, our image“, to use it at will, without having to pay the actors, recalls Rebecca Metz.
The performers also want to regulate “self-recorded auditions”, which have become commonplace with the pandemic: the studios are asking candidates to film themselves with software like Zoom, which requires them to learn increasingly long scenes, without remuneration, and deprives them of the return of casting directors. “Talking in front of a camera at home, knowing that you will never have an answer, is to move away from what acting is“, laments the actress.