‘Parks and Recreation’ Cast, Including L’il Sebastian, Reunite at Actors’ Strike

Cast members from Parks and Recreation, including the beloved mini-horse L’il Sebastian, reunited on the picket lines for the SAG-AFTRA strike outside of Amazon’s offices in Culver City, California on Friday. Aubrey Plaza, Nick Offerman, Retta, Adam Scott, Jim O’Heir, Sam Elliott, Ben Schwartz, Alison Becker, among others, banded together to show their support for their fellow actors.

Plaza carried a sign that read, “Ann Perkins works for the AMPTP,” referring to Rashida Jones’ character on the show, whom Plaza’s character hated, and the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers, which represents the movie studios and streaming services. Retta’s sign said, “I sold that little red thing for health insurance.” Others held signs that read “Pawnee Is a Union Town” and “SAG-AFTRA on Strike!”

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Plaza and Offerman have been especially visible, as the actors’ strike began last month. On July 20, Offerman posted a photo of himself holding a picket sign to Instagram with the caption, “It is a privilege to picket in solidarity with [the Writers Guild] seeing new friends and old, all of us laborers striking for fair pay and so much more. If it ain’t on the page, it ain’t on the stage, folks.” That same day, Plaza posted a photo of herself holding a sign that said, “Do you have fair wages? It’d be a lot cooler if you did.” Scott posted a pic earlier this month of Offerman and him picketing side by side.

Parks and Recreation ran from 2009 to 2015 on NBC with a follow-up special airing in April 2020. The series is now available to stream on Peacock and other services from which the actors likely want a fair share of residual royalties.

SAG-AFTRA started its strike on July 14, a month and a half after the Writers Guild started its strike on May 2. Both unions want similar goals: a larger cut of royalties and assurances that artificial intelligence won’t be used to replace them. The Writers Guild indicated this week that it intended to start negotiations with AMPTP on Friday.

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