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As is often the case in Hollywood, the idea begins with the writers but it takes the star power of an actor to grab people’s attention. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has been on strike since May 2, but the addition of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) last week has catapulted the story into the public consciousness.
The current strike represents the first time the WGA and SAG have been on strike together in over 60 years, with the groups demanding higher base rates of pay, residual payments for streaming shows and more control over the use of AI in the industry.
SAG represents 160,000 actors, including the town’s A-list, and many of these famous faces have been quick to join picket lines outside film and TV studios in Los Angeles and New York City to protest in solidarity.
Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis was spotted in New York, in front of the NBC Universal offices at 30 Rockefeller Centre, the same building he worked from while part of the Saturday Night Live cast. Sudeikis told CNN he’d be willing to picket “as long as it takes.”
Also in the crowd was Sudeikis’ ex-wife, Olivia Wilde. The Don’t Worry Darling director shared a story with her Instagram followers, addressing the studios: “You share the wealth because you cannot exist without us.”
Sudeikis is just one of several high-profile TV stars to become a public-facing part of the movement over the past four days.
The Mandalorian’s Rosario Dawson skipped the premiere of her latest film The Haunted Mansion to support the strike, while Better Call Saul and Lucky Hank star Bob Odenkirk was spotted in Los Angeles alongside How I Met Your Father actress Hilary Duff and This Is Us star Mandy Moore.
Meanwhile, David Duchovny got creative with his placard doubling as a nod to a famous line from his hit 1990s series, The X Files.
Picket lines are taking place outside a dozen studios and production facilities in Los Angeles and New York, including the Warner Bros., Walt Disney and Sony lots as well as the headquarters of Netflix and Amazon Studios.
Australian actress Samara Weaving was part of a contingent that gathered to picket outside Paramount Pictures studio on July 17. The former Home & Away star’s attendance was especially impressive given she is next set to appear in the action-thriller Bella – a Paramount Pictures film.
Actor Samara Weaving carries a sign on a picket line outside Paramount studios in Los Angeles on Monday.Credit: AP
Weaving was one of many film stars who started lending their weight to the cause as the strike continued into day four. Kevin Bacon joined the protest in front of Paramount Studios at 1515 Broadway, while Susan Sarandon called out the use of AI while picketing in New York.
“AI will affect everybody,” the Oscar-winner said. “There’s definitely always been the feeling that if it isn’t solved now, how do we ever solve it in the future? If you don’t have the foresight to put something in place for the future, then you’re screwed.”
Sprinkling the picket lines with celebrities is proving to be a win-win for both the SAG and WGA cause, as well as the celebrities themselves.
The presence of famous faces keeps the labour dispute in the headlines while humanising the actors who don a t-shirt and pick up a sign.
Those unable to be there in person have leveraged the power of their social media platforms to help spread the message.
Film stars including Mark Ruffalo, Leonardo DiCaprio, John Cusack, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Priyanka Chopra and Jessica Chastain have all taken to Twitter or Instagram to call for solidarity in the fight for a fairer future.
Former Dawson’s Creek star James Van Der Beek posted a video explaining the strikes to his 1.3 million followers, while And Just Like That… actress Cynthia Nixon shared a tweet detailing the salaries for Hollywood’s four highest-paid executives.
With the strike set to continue for the foreseeable future, Hollywood will need to call upon its most recognisable faces to achieve results.
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