US film and television production has been halted as a result of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) strikes and a second strike by writers for movies and television that started in May over compensation and the threat of artificial intelligence. It initially started as a strike from the WAG, “The Writers’ Strike”, but now both forces of movie magic have joint hands.
As the actors’ strike approaches its fourth week, a dozen of Hollywood’s highest-paid performers have contributed. George Clooney and Meryl Streep have each given at least $1 million to help the actors who are now unemployed.
The first “double strike” in Hollywood since 1960 has cost the state of California’s economy and the entertainment sector several million dollars daily in addition to depriving the striking workers of their wages.
Actors Helping Actors
A-list celebrities have given $1 million or more to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s actors’ assistance fund, including Clooney, Streep, Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts, Oprah Winfrey, and others. The actors’ strike has resulted in stars and celebrities coming together like never before.
According to a news release issued on Wednesday, the SAG-AFTRA Foundation has gathered more than $15 million with the support of “some of Hollywood’s highest-earning stars” and is getting ready to provide relief to union actors who are struggling financially as a result of the prolonged strike.
“In this strike action, I am lucky to be able to support those who will struggle in a long action to sustain against Goliath,” Streep said in a statement on Wednesday. “We will stand strong together against these powerful corporations who are bent on taking the humanity, the human dignity, even the human out of our profession.”
Impact of Double Strike- Writers’ Strike and Actors’ Strike
According to information from California film licenses, the writers’ strike has already put a stop to the production of the majority of series and movies. Even though most movies have a script in hand when they begin filming, alterations and updates mean a writer is frequently required as production moves along.
Following the actors’ strike, the majority of ongoing work will halt. Independent films that are not affiliated with one of the major studios will be the exception.
Amid the actors’ strike, they won’t participate in promotional activities for newly released films, such as walking the red carpet at movie premieres or giving podcast interviews. The writers’ strike naturally prevented fresh episodes of American late-night television from airing, so the potential to generate that kind of exposure was already constrained.
