SAG-AFTRA Strike: Disney Characters Walk Carpet Instead of Stars at ‘Haunted Mansion’ Premiere

The show must go on apparently for Disney’s Haunted Mansion, as the premiere at Disneyland continued to take place on Saturday, despite SAG-AFTRA voting to strike on Thursday morning.

As Variety reported earlier in the week, the film’s debut was going to happen regardless of how the strike vote landed. On Saturday, instead of the usual interviews with actors and actresses as they walked the red carpet, the press was met with Disneyland characters strutting their stuff as “guests,” as Variety shared. There were appearances by Cruella de Vil, Maleficent, and Mickey and Minnie Mouse, among others.

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Media was also told there would be no interviews with the stacked cast — including LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Danny DeVito, Rosario Dawson, Chase W. Dillon, Daniel Levy, Jamie Lee Curtis, Hasan Minhaj, Marilu Henner and Lindsay Lamb — who did not attend in solidarity with the strike. While press was also told the director Justin Simien would not be giving any interviews, either, he did tell Variety that he was “sad” the cast couldn’t attend, but that he understood why.

“It’s so surreal, it’s so sad and disappointing, but I’m not disappointed in this cast. I’m disappointed in the conditions that have brought about this situation,” he told Malkin.

Haunted Mansion, which is inspired by the theme park ride of the same name, hits theaters on July 28.

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