after screenwriters, Hollywood actors also go on strike

The production of series and films in Hollywood will be completely frozen. After the screenwriters, the American actors have also decided to go on strike, for what should constitute the worst paralysis of the sector in more than 60 years. “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.

The strike will begin Thursday evening at midnight, Los Angeles time (Friday, 9 a.m. in Paris). The actors will thus join the screenwriters on the picket lines, who have ceased work since the beginning of May. The two trades are demanding an increase in their remuneration, at half mast in the era of streaming. They also want to obtain guarantees regarding the use of artificial intelligence (AI), to prevent the latter from generating scripts or cloning their voice and image.

Some talk shows and reality TV shows

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 prequel to Lord of the Rings financed by Amazon, the series Rings of Power. But, without actors, filming would simply not be possible.

Only a few talk shows and reality TV shows could continue. The actors also have the power to seriously hamper the promotion of this summer’s blockbusters, such as the highly anticipated Oppenheimer by Christopher Nolan. At the film’s London premiere on Thursday, actress Emily Blunt told the press that the cast will be leaving “together” the red carpet as a sign “of unity”if the strike is formally approved.