Still on strike, actors asked not to dress up as Barbie or Oppenheimer for Halloween

The standoff between striking actors and studio bosses in Hollywood is hidden even in the most frivolous details. Even if it means appearing extreme and a little ridiculous, the SAG-AFTRA union has asked its 160,000 members not to disguise themselves as characters from cinema and television works produced by Hollywood studios. This request made to actors, stuntmen, dancers and other professionals of the small and big screens targets in particular Barbie from Warner Bros, Oppenheimer from Universal, the superheroes of the Marvel universe from Disney or even Stranger Things from Netflix.

The union advised its members to choose generic “ghost, zombie, spider” costumes to dress up on October 31. They can also draw inspiration from cartoon characters who are not affected by the strike movement of actors who demand an increase in their remuneration, at half mast in the era of streaming, and protection measures against intelligence artificial.

“Let’s use our collective strength to send a strong message to our employers that we will not promote their content without a fair contract,” declared the SAG-AFTRA union, whose members have deserted film sets since mid-July. This instruction was not appreciated by everyone. Former SAG-AFTRA President Melissa Gilbert (Little House on the Prairie's Little Laura) called her "childish." “Do you really think this kind of stuff is going to end the strike? We're not serious at all. Please tell me you're going to make this rule go away...and go negotiate! “, she wrote on Instagram. In his wake, the star of the melodrama This Is Us Mandy Moore was also annoyed: “Is this a prank? We ask that you negotiate in good faith on our behalf. So many people working in this industry have made enormous sacrifices for months. Come back to the table and get a fair deal so everyone can get back to work.” As for Ryan Reynolds, he joked: “How am I going to explain to my 8-year-old daughter that she is breaking the picket line by dressing up like her heroes?”

Studios and actors announced last week the suspension of their negotiations despite a salary agreement last month between the studios and representatives of the screenwriters, which ended the strike started in May by this corporation. Many industry experts hoped that this agreement could serve as a working basis for discussions between SAG-AFTRA and the studio alliance.

But the salary demands made by SAG-AFTRA go further than those of their fellow screenwriters. In particular, they are demanding a greater increase in salaries and to receive a tithe on each subscription to streaming platforms, and not a bonus. This would represent 500 million dollars, where the studios only want to pay 20 million euros.

Faced with this blockade, a handful of superstars, including George Clooney and Scarlett Johansson and Ben Affleck, attempted mediation which failed. The group of stars proposed paying residual rights to the lowest paid actors and paying the heavyweights last. Another flagship measure: lifting the cap which limits union contributions for actors earning more than $1 million in fees. This would have made it possible to increase the SAG-AFTRA fund and to help the most precarious actors through various social actions. But this proposal, points out the union, is off topic and does not address any of their demands on an increase in wages and on the question of residual rights.

As the actors' strike prepares to enter its 100th day, dissensions are beginning to appear in the ranks as shown by this attempt at mediation made public by Hollywood heavyweights who tried to influence the lady's position of iron and president of SAG-AFTRA, the Nanny from hell Fran Drescher. The exit from the woodwork of George Clooney, Meryl Streep and their peers suggests that they do not have confidence in the negotiating committee's strategy to emerge from the crisis. According to Variety, some studio executives believe that Fran Drescher “is less interested in finding an agreement than leading a crusade for a better redistribution of wealth in Hollywood.”