BarbiestarMargot Robbiehas joined the ranks on the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) picket line, with an image of the beloved actress now making its way onto social media (via@DiscussingFilm). Note that Robbie has brought herBabylonco-star and lookalike Samara Weaving with her just in case. But Robbie is far from the only big name to join the protest, asHarold & Kumarduo Kal Penn and John Cho have reunited after all these years in the name of fighting for what’s right for actors and writers in Hollywood.
“You’ve got studio executives and big corporations who love to tweet about equity,” Penn said (via@APEntertainment). “They love to post on social media about equity. They love all the performative sh*t that comes with pretending that they support us.”
“Yeah, boy,” Cho said in a response that made Penn burst out laughing. “So the way you know we’re winning is when they hire a progressive DC PR firm,” Penn continued. “I’m looking at you Molly Levinson, and all of the people who work for you, many of whom I’ve worked with at the White House. And you’re all on the wrong side of history. And you know that the work that we’re doing with our incredible union leadership, our sibling unions, is working if they’re taking steps like that. So please keep it up. Thanks for having us.”
This article has been updated. The original article continues below…
Several more major Hollywood names have now joined the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) picket line, with bothAdam Sandlerand Ben Stiller spotted with placards in hand. Coming courtesy of a report byDeadline, Sandler and Stiller are of course two of the biggest names in movies and television, making their presence a serious boon for the ongoing strike action.
According to the report, protests are now expected to take place “outside the studios and networks in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Comic-Con International: San Diego.” Other big names standing with the union includeShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten RingsandBarbiestar Simu Liu,Dirty Dancingstar Jennifer Grey,The Avengersactor Clark Gregg, andTrue Romancestar Christian Slater, as well as Patricia Clarkso, Debra Messing, Stephen Lang, Seth Green, and more.
These latest names to stand on the picket lines at the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists join the likes ofBetter Call Sauland Emmy Award winnerBob Odenkirk, who recently stood alongside fellow actors for the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA (Writers Guild of America) strike. The official Twitter account forSAG-AFTRArecently shared a clip of Odenkirk to social media, with the actor saying, “we have to do this now, and we have to do this right so that we don’t have to do this for another 20 years. Let’s do it right.”
Odenkirk is far from the only big name to join the picket line and strike for fair pay and fair treatment for actors and performers, with the cast of Amazon’s hit superhero seriesThe Boys,The X-Filesstar David Duchovny (holding a sign saying “the residuals are out there”), California Congressman Adam Schiff, and celebrated actorKevin Baconalso showing their support.
The SAG-AFTRA strike began on 14 July, with the union taking action after negotiations between them and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers due to issues surrounding streaming and the potential use of artificial intelligence.
Actors and performers joining the picket line comes following reactions from the likes of Matt Damon, Jamie Lee Curtis, and the White House. Ongoing support has come from many names across the industry, with director Christopher Nolan saying thathe will not work on any projectsuntil the strike has come to an end.
RELATED:The Actors' Strike: Explained
The SAG-AFTRA Strike Continues
The SAG-AFTRA strike is now underway, with the strike marking the first time that actors have initiated a labor dispute in Hollywood since 1980. The strike also marks the first time that both actors and writers have walked out at the same time for more than 60 years.
“It came with great sadness that we came to this crossroads, but we had no choice. We are the victims here. We are being victimized by a very greedy entity,” SAG–AFTRA president Fran Drescher saidduring the announcementthat a strike will take place. “I am shocked by the way the people that we have been in business with are treating us. I cannot believe it, quite frankly, how far apart we are on so many things. How they plead poverty, that they’re losing money left and right when giving hundreds of millions of dollars to their CEOs. It is disgusting. Shame on them. They stand on the wrong side of history.”
One of the major sticking points is the possible use of AI, with the SAG-AFTRA chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland revealing that studios had proposed “that our background performers should be able to be scanned, get paid for one day’s pay, and their company should own that scan their image, their likeness and should be able to use it for the rest of eternity in any project they want with no consent and no compensation.” Something thatHollywood superstar Tom Cruisewas brought in to fight against.
