Hundreds of thousands of actors will go on strike Wednesday night if negotiations with studios are not reached by midnight.
Members of SAG-AFTRA, the union that represents performers, say they are ready to walk off the job which would mark the first time since 1960 that both writers and actors would be actively on strike.
The looming strike could yield serious economic impacts on Hollywood’s film and television industry.
On Tuesday, SAG-AFTRA announced it had agreed to a last-minute request for federal mediation by the Alliance of Film and Television Producers, the trade union representing studios, but would not waver from striking at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday if no deal was reached.
Actors would be joining WGA writers who have been on the picket lines for more than two months since May 2.
The union previously reached a strike deadline on July 1 before talks were extended, but since then, no deal has been reached.
A SAG-AFTRA representative tells KTLA they are now negotiating under a mutually agreed upon news blackout, which means neither side is allowed to publicly comment at this time.
“The deadline’s coming up and it’s 11:59 and I feel like right now, we should all be out here supporting the strike,” said Alicia-Marie Rosenberg, a SAG-AFTRA member. “It’s so important for the studios and producers to know that we mean business.”
Among the topics of contention include the union’s push for Hollywood studios to restrict the use of artificial intelligence, securing higher streaming pay and residuals for its members along with better health and pension funds. Artificial intelligence has become a major point of contention in talks.
If a deal is not reached before the strike deadline, the actors’ union will officially go on strike at midnight.
“For me personally, it’s about AI and streaming, to get that fair share of money,” Rosenberg said. “For background, for day players to get their fair share of money. “
“It’s up to the AMPTP,” said Adam Conover, a SAG-AFTRA and WGA member. “If they want to offer the actors a fair deal that gives them what actors are telling them they demand, then there will be no strike. If they don’t do that, actors have made it very clear that we are going on strike.”
Some major actors have reportedly announced plans to join the picket lines should the strike go through including Meryl Streep, Ben Stiller and Jennifer Lawrence.
With plenty of productions already shut down due to the writer’s strike, if actors join them, industry experts tell KTLA the move could have a devastating impact on the film and television business.
“There is a huge economy in Los Angeles and other major production hubs, such as Atlanta, New York, London, Toronto and so many others that would lose billions of dollars, not to mention the livelihoods of thousands and thousands of below-the-line workers,” said Jeremy Fuster, a labor and box officer reporter for the entertainment news outlet, The Wrap.
So far though, members are holding strong and ready to walk if negotiations fall through.
“SAG-AFTRA covers a ton of reality shows, game shows, so all the fall schedules that the networks have been rolling out, their “strike-proof” fall schedules full of reality shows like America’s Got Talent, those will all go dark as well,” Conover explains. “Actors, even the big actors like Tom Cruise, they’ll have to stop doing promotion on those movies. They won’t be able to keep going to the film festivals or doing the interviews because that helps the companies when they do that.”