After talks fell through, SAG-AFTRA decided to pursue a strike in hopes of receiving better pay. They will join their writer colleagues in protesting, and the actors may not be seen strutting the red carpet for some time.
SAG-AFTRA took to the streets on Friday to strike against major studios including Paramount, Disney, Universal, Sony, Fox and streaming giants Amazon and Netflix, joining writers who have been on strikes for months.The event marks a historic development as it serves as the first time since 1980 that actors in the film and television industry have gone on strike, and the first strike by both actors and writers since 1960.Almost every TV or film actor in the US has now joined 11,000 members of the Writers Guild of America who are asking for increased residual payments from streaming services. Streaming services have decreased the amount of work writers and actors receive (and therefore their pay) while also eliminating their royalties for however many times an episode or film may be re-watched by customers.Fran Drescher, an actress best known for TV series and films including The Nanny, Saturday Night Fever, and Happily Divorced and who serves as the third president of SAG-AFTRA, announced the strike Thursday.“The entire business model has been changed by streaming, digital, AI.
