George Clooney Supports SAG-AFTRA Strike, Saying the ‘Journey Starts Now’
George Clooney voiced his support for the SAG-AFTRA strike Friday morning in a statement to the press. “This is an inflection point in our industry,” he said. “For our industry to survive that has to change. For actors, that journey starts now.” Deadline reports that the actor, one of the most high-profile to throw his weight behind the strike, was speaking with SAG members mounting to picket until the early hours in Los Angeles and that, in his statement, he also said, “Actors and writers in large numbers have lost their ability to make a living.”
The board for SAG-AFTRA, the union officially known as the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, voted unanimously to strike on Thursday when they failed to make a deal with the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers (AMPTP), which advocates for the movie studios and streaming services. SAG-AFTRA represents 160,000 members.
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“SAG-AFTRA as national board unanimously voted to issue a strike order against the studios and streamers,” the guild’s national executive director and chief negotiator, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, said Thursday. “The board has determined that union members should withhold their labor until a fair contract and be achieved a strike is an instrument of last resort, we tried for four weeks to reach a deal with the AMPTP. And unfortunately, they have left us with no alternative.”
According to Crabtree-Ireland, one of the sticking points with the guild was an “AI proposal” that would allegedly allow producers to scan extras’ faces, pay them for one day of work, and use their likeness in perpetuity with no further compensation. The union’s president, Fran Drescher, described the decision as, “a very seminal hour for us.”
Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan told attendees at the movie’s London premiere that the film’s stars, including Matt Damon and Emily Blunt, had left early to “go and write their pickets.” The union discourages striking actors from promotional appearances.
An AMPTP statement called the decision to strike deeply disappointing. “Rather than continuing to negotiate, SAG-AFTRA has put us on a course that will deepen the financial hardship for thousands who depend on the industry for their livelihoods,” it said.
The actors’ strike coincides with an ongoing writers’ strike initiated by the Writers Guild of America, which halted work in May. This could be the beginning of Hollywood’s first double strike since 1960.
President Joe Biden voiced his support for the SAG-AFTRA strike on Thursday. “The President believes all workers – including actors – deserve fair pay and benefits,” Robyn Patterson, a White House spokesperson, said. “The President supports workers’ right to strike and hopes the parties can reach a mutually beneficial agreement.”
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