SAG strike news: Universal Studios accused of pruning trees to remove shade for picketing actors and writers
Los Angeles picketers are scattered between several studio lots
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Universal Studios has been accused of trimming the trees that lined its studio lot and provided shade for striking actors and writers.
On Monday (17 July), following the first weekend of the historic Hollywood shutdown, comic Chris Stephens tweeted a photo showing the bare trees.
“Quick shoutout to the good people at @UniversalPics for trimming the trees that gave our picket line shade right before a 90+ degree week,” Stephens wrote.
SAG-AFTRA negotiators unanimously recommended a strike after talks with the AMPTP broke down last week.
Additionally, the Writers Guild of America has been on strike since early May. Both groups demand increases in base pay and residuals in the streaming TV era, plus assurances that their work will not be replaced by AI.
Fran Drescher, former star of The Nanny and SAG president, said studios’ responses to the actors’ concerns had been “insulting and disrespectful”.
In light of the historic double strike, several actors and writers have shared personal horror stories of Hollywood studio greed.
Meanwhile, Disney CEO Bob Iger condemned the threatened strike action as “very disruptive” at the “worst time” as well as calling the expectations of writers and actors “not realistic”.
Kevin Bacon joins actors protesting against Hollywood studios: ‘I’m here for the working class’
Orange Is the New Black star claims cast members held second jobs due to poor salaries
Devon Sawa claims he wasn’t ‘paid a cent’ for Final Destination 5 cameo in deleted tweet
Matilda child star and John Cusack share horror stories on Hollywood studio greed in support of SAG strike
Tom Cruis asked SAG-AFTRA to consider permitting continued publicity efforts amid strike
Tom Cruise reportedly spoke with reps SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP about issues like film promotion and AI, as well as some specifically concerning stunt professionals.
According to Deadline, the actor pushed SAG-AFTRA to consider allowing member promotion of studio projects during the strike.
A source told the outlet that this discussion wasn’t specifically concerning the 61-year-old actor’s latest film Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, but it was instead an acknowledgment of the power promotion has in influencing box office results, which are crucial for the industry post-pandemic.
House of the Dragon hit with backlash for continuing filming despite SAG-AFTRA strike
House of the Dragon is set to continue filming in the United Kingdom this summer despite the Screen Actors Guild strike – due to local union rules.
The second season of the HBO series is likely to proceed with production as scheduled, Variety reported on Thursday (13 July). The cast of the Game of Thrones prequel is primarily composed of British actors working under Equity contracts, rather than SAG-AFTRA. As a result, Equity members aren’t legally allowed to strike in solidarity with the US union, according to the outlet.
Read more:
UK law prohibits Equity union from legally calling a strike in support of SAG-AFTRA
Kevin Bacon joins actors protesting against Hollywood studios
Kevin Bacon joined SAG-AFTRA members protesting in front of Paramount Studios’ New York headquarters on Monday (17 July).
“I think AI is a huge issue,” the Footloose star told The Associated Press from the picket line.
Read more:
Kevin Bacon joins picket line to protest for ‘working class’ actors
‘I think AI is a huge issue,’ A-lister said from SAG-AFTRA picket line in New York
WATCH: Hollywood in historic shutdown as actors union joins writers strike
Devon Sawa claims he wasn’t ‘paid a cent’ for Final Destination 5 cameo in deleted tweet
Devon Sawa has joined the throng of actors sharing horror stories from the industry amid the SAG-AFTRA union strike, which has ground Hollywood to a halt.
Final Destination star Sawa, 44, reportedly took to Twitter on Friday (14 July) to allege that he was never paid for his cameo in Final Destination 5 (2011).
Sawa’s character Alex Browning – the lead in the original 2000 Final Destination film – briefly makes an appearance in the franchise’s fifth instalment using footage from the first film.
Read more:
Final Destination star claims he wasn’t ‘paid a cent’ for cameo role
‘Final Destination’ lead also claimed he wasn’t told he was in the movie despite being invited to the premiere
Orange Is the New Black star claims cast members held second jobs due to poor salaries
Orange Is the New Black star Kimiko Glenn has opened up about how little the cast was paid amid the Hollywood actors’ strike over poor working conditions.
The 34-year-old joined Netflix’s groundbreaking drama in its second season as inmate Brook Soso, who is thrown into prison for illegal activism.
After appearing in 44 episodes of its nine-season run, Glenn claimed she only made $27.30 (£20) in 2020 from streaming residuals, which the actors’ union, SAG-AFTRA, defines as “additional compensation paid to performers when a production is shown beyond the original use covered by the initial compensation”.
Read more:
Orange Is the New Black star says ‘you would die’ by how poorly cast was paid
Kimiko Glenn, who starred as Brook Soso on Netflix’s groundbreaking series, said, ‘We couldn’t afford cabs to set’
What are SAG-AFTRA’s demands?
According to their official website, the following are SAG-AFTRA’s demands.
- Performers need minimum earnings to simply keep up with inflation.
- Performers need the protection of our images and performances to prevent the replacement of human performances by artificial intelligence technology.
- Performers need qualified hair and makeup professionals as well as equipment to safely and effectively style a variety of hair textures/styles and skin tones.
- Performers need compensation to reflect the value we bring to the streamers who profit from our labour.
- All performers need support from our employers to keep our health and retirement funds sustainable.
- Principal performers need to be able to work during hiatus and not be held captive by employers.
- Principal performers need to be reimbursed for relocation expenses when they’re employed away from home.
Should you cancel your streaming subscriptions in solidarity with actors and writers?
For those interested in supporting the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strike, there are several things you can do.
While it may seem counterintuitive, you should not cancel your streaming subscriptions, actor Dave Wallace tweeted. In fact, he argued that doing the exact opposite “would actually be more supportive”.
Tom Cruis asked SAG-AFTRA to consider permitting continued publicity efforts amid strike
Tom Cruise reportedly spoke with reps SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP about issues like film promotion and AI, as well as some specifically concerning stunt professionals.
According to Deadline, the actor pushed SAG-AFTRA to consider allowing member promotion of studio projects during the strike.
A source told the outlet that this discussion wasn’t specifically concerning the 61-year-old actor’s latest film Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, but it was instead an acknowledgment of the power promotion has in influencing box office results, which are crucial for the industry post-pandemic.
Mark Ruffalo rages against Hollywood ‘fat cats’
Actor Mark Ruffalo has urged his fellow stars to work with indie producers, following the news that SAG-AFTRA will soon be signing “interim agreements” with truly independent producers that will allow many of them to make projects during the strike, as long as they are not affiliated with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
“Then we just do what we always do – create great content and they can buy it, or we take it out ourselves and WE share in those sales,” he tweeted. “They’ve created an empire of billionaires and believe that we are no longer of value. While they hang out in the billionaire boy summer camps laughing like fat cats, we organise a new world for workers.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments