SAG-AFTRA Strike FAQ: How the Rules Apply to Influencers, Journalists, Cosplayers and More

Jamie Lee Curtis is expressing her full support for the SAG-AFTRA strike after she was criticized for comments she made earlier in the week.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer In her most forceful comments to date about the Hollywood strikes, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass called Friday on the unions and studios to reach a deal “immediately” to get the industry back to work. Bass, who has largely remained on the sidelines thus far, said she is willing to get personally involved to help bring the strikes to an end.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The armorer on “Rust” waived her right to a preliminary hearing on Friday, clearing the path to take her to a trial on manslaughter charges. Hannah Gutierrez Reed is charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in October 2021. Prosecutors allege she displayed criminal negligence when she accidentally loaded a live round into Alec Baldwin’s gun.

As the SAG-AFTRA strike enters its second month with no end in sight, joining the WGA strike that began in May, some of Hollywood’s biggest stars have been taking to picket lines to support the unions.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer A Santa Fe judge on Tuesday denied a defense motion to throw out the “Rust” prosecution, keeping the case on track for a key hearing that begins next week. Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the film’s armorer, faces charges of involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence. She is accused of loading a live round into Alec Baldwin’s gun on Oct.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Film workers who have been unemployed during the strike will get some help in maintaining their health insurance, the industry plan announced Monday. The Motion Picture Industry Pension and Health Plans will extend eligibility to certain participants who otherwise would not have enough hours to qualify for benefits. The MPIPHP also announced that members will be able to take a one-time “hardship withdrawal” from their defined-contributed retirement plans.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer SAG-AFTRA has found itself defending its decision to give the green light to more than 100 independent productions to film during the strike. Many members, including Sarah Silverman and Viola Davis, have publicly suggested that working under an interim agreement would undermine the strike. Silverman went so far as to call it “scabbing,” though she walked back her criticism after speaking to union leadership.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Disney lost a bid on Friday to throw out a state court lawsuit that seeks to assert state control over future development of its Orlando theme parks. The ruling is the latest twist in the struggle between Disney and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over governance of the 40-square-mile area around Disney World.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Two unions are on strike and there are no plans to restart negotiations with either of them, leaving Hollywood in limbo for the foreseeable future. The Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA have both said they are open to talking, but that the studios refuse to engage on their core issues. The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, meanwhile, has said that the unions have been unwilling to drop items that are non-starters, like a demand for a share of streaming revenue and a minimum staffing level for TV writers.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Prince Royal, an actor in Los Angeles, was working as an extra on “The Flash” when he was directed to a tractor trailer to “take pictures.” Inside were hundreds of cameras. He stood with his arms up as the operators took a 3-D scan, which he was told would be used for continuity and special effects. “We were told if we didn’t do it, we’d be sent home without pay,” he said.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer SAG-AFTRA has granted approval to 39 independent productions to shoot during the strike, after confirming that they are not tied to AMPTP companies. The list includes two projects from A24, the independent production company: “Mother Mary,” starring Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel, and “Death of a Unicorn,” starring Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega, which is set to begin shooting soon in Hungary. A24 is not part of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, said a spokesperson for the company. The projects also include “The Rivals of Amziah King,” starring Matthew McConaughey and “The Chosen,” a TV series about the life of Jesus.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis held a packed union meeting at their Beverly Hills home. Desi Arnaz poured his heart out in an open letter to the industry while Lew Wasserman worked the numbers quietly behind the scenes. And it was none other than future Oval Office occupant Ronald Reagan who led the Screen Actors Guild through the war in 1960, the last time that Hollywood experienced such a season of labor strife with actors and the Writers Guild of America on strike at the same time. And it was already a tumultuous time for the industry. In 1959, Congress and the Justice Department were deep into their investigation of “payola” corruption involving music labels and radio station owners. Congress also held hearings that year on the notorious TV quiz show scandals (see 1994’s “Quiz Show” for a primer).

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer SAG-AFTRA and the major studios remain at odds on a dizzying array of issues, as film and TV actors hit the picket lines Friday for the first time since 1980. According to sources on both sides, the biggest sticking point is the union’s demand for 2% of the revenue generated by streaming shows. The two sides also remain far apart on basic increases in minimum rates, with the studios offering 5%, 4% and 3.5% across the three years of the contract, while the union is demanding 11%, 4% and 4%. But that only scratches the surface. The parties are at odds on dozens of issues, only a handful of which have been publicly reported.

The 11th installment of Deadline Strike Talk with Billy Ray lands at the close of another seismic week in the Hollywood labor battle.

Actors’ Equity president Kate Shindle is urging stage actors to “proactively and aggressively avoid breaking” the SAG-AFTRA strike by inadvertently accepting struck work.

George Clooney is speaking out about the SAG-AFTRA strike.One day after the actors' union officially ratified their strike, with performers walking off sets and out of promotional events for their upcoming projects, Clooney issued a statement to ET, calling the strike a major turning point in the history of Hollywood.«This is an inflection point in our industry,» the actor and director said in his statement. «Actors and writers in large numbers have lost their ability to make a living.

Production has paused on Deadpool 3 following SAG-AFTRA’s decision to move forward with strike action last night.

#Oppenheimer left the premiere to ‘go and write their pickets’ and join the strike pic.twitter.com/rc2SaSxcfkSAG-AFTRA formally announced its first film and television strike since 1980 at a press conference at its Los Angeles headquarters on Thursday.“From the time negotiations began on June 7, SAG-AFTRA staff and the members of our negotiating committee have worked overtime devoting their evenings, weekends and holidays to achieving a deal that would ensure a sustainable future for the acting profession,” chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said.

There is growing angst about the potential impact of the confirmed SAG strike on upcoming A-list festivals such as Venice and Toronto, but the industrial action is already having a tangible effect on festivals around the world with the Galway Film Fleadh in Ireland having to pull a Q&A tonight with actor Matthew Modine.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer SAG-AFTRA announced Thursday that it is on strike against the film and TV companies, marking only the second time in Hollywood history that actors have joined writers on the picket lines. The SAG-AFTRA national board held its meeting on Thursday morning and voted unanimously to approve a strike recommendation forwarded by the negotiating committee, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, national executive director and chief negotiator of SAG-AFTRA, said during a press conference. “Union members should withhold their labor until a fair contract can be achieved,” he told the room. “They have left us with no alternative.”