The actors’ strike in Hollywood officially began Thursday at midnight in Los Angeles (this Friday at 9 a.m. in Paris). The actors thus join the movement of screenwriters, which began in early May. Unprecedented, this strike risks blocking all American audiovisual production.
The American actors officially went on strike Friday at 00:00 (07:00 GMT), thus joining the screenwriters for a double social movement never seen since 1960 in Hollywood, which promises to paralyze American film and television production.
“The SAG-AFTRA National Council Voted Unanimously for a Strike Order Against Studios and Broadcasters”announced Thursday, July 13 during of a press conference Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the national executive director of this union which represents 160,000 actors and other professionals on the small and big screen. Here are some keys to understanding the scope of this historic strike.
1What are the demands of the actors?
Like the screenwriters, the actors are demanding an increase in their remuneration “residual”which stem from every rerun of a movie or series and have plummeted with the advent of streaming.
Substantial for television because calculated according to the price of advertisements, these emoluments are much lower with streaming platforms, which do not communicate their audience figures and pay a flat rate, regardless of success.
Eric Edelstein, an actor who played a small role in Jurassic World, recently illustrated this dramatic erosion with the Los Angeles Times. Income from the rebroadcast of the film on cable channels brought him 1,400 dollars (1,250 euros) over a quarter. For the same period, the actor received 40 dollars (35 euros) for streaming reruns.
Actors also fear being replaced by artificial intelligence (AI). They demand safeguards against the cloning of their voice and image without consent.
Finally, they protest against the “self-recorded auditions”which have become commonplace with the pandemic: studios are asking candidates to film themselves remotely, which deprives them of the return of casting directors.
2 Meryl Streep, Ben Stiller or Colin Farrell: why do the stars support the strike?
This strike, decided by SAG-AFTRA, the only actors’ union, involves its 160,000 members, whether they are simple extras, stunt performers, occasional supporting roles or stars.
“The big stars have individual contracts in addition to the union contract (…) but nevertheless remain members of the same union”, reminds AFP Jonathan Handel, a lawyer specializing in the entertainment industry. And whoever says the same contract, says the same obligations.
Many celebrities, including Meryl Streep, Ben Stiller and Colin Farrell, have already publicly spoken out in favor of a strike.
They will become an essential spokesperson, “but this strike is not about bringing more money to people who already have millions”, explains Jonathan Handel. The social movement is crucial for the multitude of actors, much less paid, who must “continue to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads.”
3 What impact will the strike have on production?
Hollywood has already been operating in slow motion since May with the writers’ strike and will now come to a complete standstill. Without actors, impossible to shoot, even on the basis of scripts completed before the spring, as the Amazon series did recently Rings of Powerprequel to Lord of the Rings.
Only a few talk shows and reality TV shows will continue. Something to upset the television schedules in the United States. Without series, the Fox channel will thus essentially offer reality TV programs like Kitchen nightmare Or Lego Masters this autumn.
The longer the strike lasts, the more the delays will accumulate. The release of future blockbusters is likely to suffer, because many months pass between the end of filming and the cinema release.
The movement can also affect international productions at the margins, according to Jonathan Handel. “When SAG-AFTRA actors work on a film shot in Europe, Australia, Asia or elsewhere, they must stop work”he explains.
4 Why is this movement historic?
This is the first actors’ strike since 1980 in Hollywood. The last double social movement bringing together actors and screenwriters dates back to 1960. At the time, the future President of the United States Ronald Reagan led the actors’ union and had built political stature by obtaining important concessions from the studios.
The economic impact of this strike is likely to be staggering. The last scriptwriters’ strike in 2007-2008 lasted 100 days and cost the sector two billion dollars (1.7 billion euros).
However, many Hollywood workers want to fight because they believe that the industry is going through an existential crisis, between precariousness linked to streaming and technological threats.
“It’s a historic moment”insisted Thursday Fran Drescher, the ex-star of the series A nanny from hell who chairs SAG-AFTRA. “If we don’t stand up now, … we all risk being replaced by machines and big corporations that care more about Wall Street than you and your family.”
5 How long could the strike last?
The strike may “last until autumn”, predicts the lawyer. The conflict could even “to go on forever”given the major tensions between actors and studios.
What he says is accelerating the migration of the general public to streaming platforms like Netflix, which offer a number of international productions or reality TV shows in their catalogs.