Hollywood’s impending actors’ strike
“Nanny” star Fran Drescher in the criticism
Union leader Fran Drescher traveled to Italy at the wrong time.
© Ovidiu Hrubaru/Shutterstock.com
Despite the threat of a double strike, union leader Fran Drescher travels to Italy – and faces severe criticism in Hollywood.
This Tuesday at midnight California time could Hollywood largely come to a standstill. Because if the powerful actors’ union SAG-AFTRA does not reach an agreement with the association of TV and film studios by 11:59 p.m. (local time), actors in series and films will go on strike.
Against this background, a trip to Italy by union chairman Fran Drescher (65) seems unfavorable. The star of the cult sitcom “The Nanny” (1993-1999) stayed in Puglia for an event of the luxury fashion label Dolce & Gabbana on Sunday, as an Instagram story by super influencer Kim Kardashian (42) proved.
In Hollywood, Drescher received a lot of criticism for her badly timed trip to Italy. “That makes a union leader look awful unless the negotiating table has been moved to Italy,” series creator Taffy Brodesser-Akner (47) tweeted in response. However, the actors’ union SAG-AFTRA explained to the “Hollywood Reporter” that Drescher had taken part in the ongoing negotiations “every day either on site or via video call” and would be back in Los Angeles by Tuesday at the latest.
The implications of a potential double strike
Should the actors actually stop working, it would create a double strike situation not seen in Hollywood since the 1960s. Because since May 2nd of this year, the screenwriters have already laid down their work. Film and series productions in Los Angeles, Atlanta and other locations are likely to come to a standstill as far as possible. Striking actors would also no longer attend press appointments.
That’s what the actors’ union demands
In its labor dispute, the actors’ union SAG-AFTRA is demanding, among other things, better compensation for streaming platforms. Especially in the event of success, actors should be financially involved in the longevity of a series or film production – as has been the case in classic, linear TV for decades.
However, the association of TV and film studios refuses to do so. According to the Los Angeles Times, most streaming platforms have not been profitable so far, which is why the powerful studios or services like Netflix do not – from their point of view – want to transfer even more money to actors. In addition, the number of views of streaming productions for this business model would have to be determined independently, and Netflix, Amazon and Co. have also been resisting this for years. An independently and officially determined viewing rate like in classic television does not exist in the world of streaming.
The great fear of artificial intelligence
Another sticking point in the negotiations is the emergence of artificial intelligence. Actors fear being replaced by AI in the medium or long term. For example, an actor could play a role in a movie for the first time and thus breathe life into a character, but for further sequels in films or series, people may be dispensed with entirely for cost reasons if the development of artificial intelligence should progress further. The original human actor would not see a dime for these later productions as of this writing.