Hollywood could largely come to a standstill this Tuesday at midnight California time. 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) thought it was an event for the luxury fashion label Dolce on Sunday
In Hollywood, Drescher received a lot of criticism for her badly timed trip to Italy. “That makes a union leader look terrible unless the negotiating table has been moved to Italy,” tweeted series creator Taffy Brodesser-Akner (47) 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.
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.
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 yet been profitable, which is why the powerful studios or services such as Netflix do not want to transfer even more money to actors – from their point of view. 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.
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.
