Hollywood came to a virtual standstill on Thursday as the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, the largest union of working actors in the industry, declared that it will be going on strike for the first time since 1986.
That strike only lasted 14 hours, with one predating it in 1980 lasting for three months. The actors and the writers have not gone on strike together since 1960.
Since the strike has become official, Deadpool 3 has shut down production and cast members in next week’s Oppenheimer have stopped promoting that film’s pending release.
SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher gave an impassioned speech on Thursday preempting the strike, one sparked by concerns over fair compensation for all working actors and questions surrounding the future of streaming platforms (including residuals) and artificial intelligence.
“The entire business model has been changed by streaming, digital, A.I. This is a moment of history that is a moment of truth,” Drescher shared on Thursday. “If we don’t stand tall right now, we are all going to be in trouble. We are all going to be in jeopardy of being replaced by machines and big business, who cares more about Wall Street than you and your family.”
President of SAG-AFTRA Fran Drescher's speech against the AMPTP was fantastic. A historical day. pic.twitter.com/iTzQY7xxtB
— Todd Spence (@Todd_Spence) July 13, 2023
While no one knows how long this strike will last, the combination of SAG-AFTRA and the Writers’ Guild of America petitioning for change at the same time makes this a historic, and potentially lengthy, moment in Hollywood’s history.
Here’s a primer on why we’re here, how it will go and what’s next.