In case anyone missed it, the union, Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), has officially started to strike. After failed negotiations and AMPTP’s inability to grasp the union’s demands, they have struck. To support them, there were some popular actors who attended the actors’ strike, showing support for both causes. They have been spotted at the picket line supporting their peers in getting their rights.
Many artists have taken to sharing their residual amounts, showing how they have been getting paid in pennies (literally). One of the actors in the strike had taken to sharing a very strong message in a viral video. He shared how 43 years ago, the CEO made 30 times the lowest worker in the company, but now the difference is almost 400 times. Additionally, they have also been making an argument for AI and its place in the film industry. Without any further ado, here are actors who made their stance known.
Actors Who Attended the Actors’ Strike
Olivia Wilde
Seen with a friend, the actor looked incredibly excited to be there supporting her fellow actors in the strike. In her social media post, he explained how it was enough that the AMPTP was exploiting them. She has been a member of SAG-AFTRA since 2002. Adding to that, she also mentioned that the alliance refused to acknowledge the artist’s worth and their contributions to the industry. Earlier last month, the actor had shared an image of her two daughters with the signs from the writers’ strike.
Paul Dano
Along with fellow actor and wife Zoe Kazan, he was there on the first day of the strike supporting all the artists striking at the picket line. Kazan, more impressively, was also at the writers’ strike with her six-month-old with her. Dano had joined her later when he got back from Cannes. That strike was a turning point for writers and this will be for actors. Even at the festival, he made sure that as a Juror, his position was known.
Rosario Dawson
The actor was seen at the picket lines, posing with many other artists who were also there. Taking some pictures and videos of the atmosphere around her, she also put up some interesting picket signs on her social media. One featured the scene from the M3GAN trailer where she mentions that they were having a conversation, and another where the person striking had referred to the audition rooms. Finally, one of them had a quote from the movie Galaxy Quest moulded to the writers’ rights.
Stephanie Beatriz
It is already amazing that the artist was at the strike while she had an infant, but bringing them to the picket lines was dedication on another level. In her social media post, she mentions that survival depends on how we take care of each other. Apart from posing with her stroller, she was also seen with other actors holding up their signs and smiling for the camera. She was also seen with people who used their SAG-AFTRA strike signs to highlight the writers’ quest as well.
Sean Gunn
On this day, he had mentioned the CEO line from above, where actors were not getting paid, and neither were the writers. Gunn also shared his experience with Gilmore Girl and Netflix, explaining that while the streaming service made millions, he was still not seeing any residuals for the same. In the end, he emphasises that all of this is to invite fairness in the conversation. The production companies always make millions, but their actors don’t see any of it.
Stephanie Hsu
In this string of images, Hsu also has a picture of herself at the picket line with one of her peers. She adds the official website of the union and advises all strike-goers to remain hydrated while fighting for their rights. In her stories, she also shared a little snippet from an article about Orange is the New Black and the kind of streaming economy we live in today. This branched out into a larger conversation about tech companies and the gig economy, understanding the ease of gaining services and how they affect workers.
Mark Ruffalo
While the actor was seen at the writers’ strike 2023, he has also made his position clear for the actors’ strike, sharing new insight into how making money would be better for actors if they adopted new models. Ruffalo made his case over a thread on his official Twitter handle, tagging the president of SAG-AFTRA in his mentions. The artist has always been a huge ally when it came to supporting issues that needed a voice. Like this one, he was always ready to lend them.
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Jason Sudeikis
Along with a bunch of other actors, Sudeikis was also seen on the picket lines. When stopped by people to be interviewed, he was ready to let them know what he thought about all of this. Ready to strike for as long as possible, he also mentioned that one just has to listen to all these actors to know why this strike is so important. As people chanted, “Hey hey, ho ho corporate greed’s got to go,” Sudeikis joined them in their movement, wearing a ‘We Need Leaders.’
Allison Janney
Known for her Emmy-nominated and Oscar-nominated works, this was a stand she took with pride. Sharing on her social media, she noted how she stands for both the unions against the vitriol AMPTP has sown between all of the players. In her picket sign, she writes, ‘Name your favourite movie without actors.’ While she hadn’t attended the picket lines during the WGA strike, she was present at the actors’ one, sharing her solidarity for the former as well.
Joey King
Striking at the picket lines with Logan Lerman as well, this actor took to the streets and shared images of them in their outfits with the posters that make it important to strike. She mentions that this strike is necessary and how proud that she is part of a union that is fighting for a fair contract. Even though the strike is pretty serious and everyone is working hard to make their demands known, there is a lot of happiness and joy in knowing that so many people came together to support each other, evidence of which is seen in the second image.
However, the aforementioned actors are not the only ones in support of the SAG-AFTRA strike. Recently, at the Oppenheimer premiere in the UK, the actors left halfway, citing that they would be leaving to write their picket signs in solidarity with the union and their demands of fair pay, increased compensation and reassurance against the rise of AI. The union has also mentioned that members cannot share promotional materials for the strike, allowing all attention to be moved away from work and towards the strike.
What do you think of the Actors’ Strike? Do you think the artists will be able to achieve fair compensation for their work? Let us know in the comments below.