'Oppenheimer' Cast Walked Out of U.K. Premiere Before SAG Strike: 'Off to Write Their Picket Signs'

Director Christopher Nolan said the cast of his film was joining "in the struggle for fair wages for working members of their union, and we support them"

The Oppenheimer cast are standing behind SAG-AFTRA.

After stars Cillian Murphy, Florence Pugh, Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Rami Malek, Josh Hartnett and more walked the red carpet during the film's U.K. premiere in London Thursday, director Christopher Nolan spoke about their sudden absence in relation to SAG-AFTRA's then-looming strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).

Speaking to an audience from onstage at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square, Nolan, 52, said, "We have to acknowledge, you've seen them here earlier on the red carpet. Unfortunately, they're off to write their picket signs for what we believe to be an imminent strike by SAG."

"Joining one of my guilds, the Writer's Guild, in the struggle for fair wages for working members of their union, and we support them," the director added, as seen in video shared by Deadline.

Soon after, leadership for SAG-AFTRA (aka the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) announced that the union would go on strike Friday, with union president Fran Drescher and national executive director and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland writing in a memo that members were ordered “to cease rendering all services and performing all work covered by the TV/Theatrical Contracts” once the strike began.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.

Related: 'Oppenheimer' Cast Squeezes in London Premiere Red Carpet as Potential Actors Strike Looms

Ahead of Nolan's comments, Blunt, 40, told Deadline she hopes "everyone makes a fair deal and we're here to just celebrate this movie."

But she was prepared for what ended up being the case, adding, "If they call [a strike], we’ll be leaving together as a cast in unity with everyone. … We're gonna have to. We're gonna have to. So we'll see what happens. But right now, it’s the joy to be together."

Damon, 52, told the outlet that despite some of the difficulties a strike would pose professionally, including for his newly launched independent studio with longtime friend Ben Affleck, a fair deal was the priority.

"It's brutal for our sister unions," he added. "And it's gonna be tough for 160,000 actors. Nobody wants a work stoppage."

"But if our leadership is saying that the deal isn’t fair, then we gotta hold strong until we get a deal that’s fair for working actors," Damon said. "It’s the difference between having healthcare and not for a lot of actors, and we gotta do what’s right by them."

Related: SAG Strike Rules: What Hollywood Actors Can and Can’t Do Until a Resolution Is Reached

Pugh, 27, told Irish outlet RTÉ on the red carpet that "it's been a really, really tense few days for a lot of people — not just actors, but everybody in the industry who are going to affected by this decision, but affected by a decision that is necessary."

"Premieres aren't just for us — they are to honor a movie, they are to honor a crew that made them. So we feel both lucky that we got to squeeze this in and also lucky that we get to stand by our peers and the decision that is made," the actress continued. "And we hope that something comes of it soon."

"I stand by my colleagues — that's all I can say to you, really," Murphy, 47, told the same outlet.

Pugh shared a collection of cast snapshots from the premiere on Instagram Thursday, writing that Oppenheimer "was made in respect of art and crews and creativity."

"Christopher Nolan respects the craft and people and that’s the Fullstop," she also said. "Thank you to all who came out in support, the movie is now yours. Love, us. X."

Oppenheimer is in U.S. theaters July 21.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.