Hollywood strike: Hollywood will grind to a complete halt as actors and writers both walk out – it could last for months
Writers have been treading the pavements with picket signs outside the Netflix building in Hollywood for two months now.
The midday sun is punishing but they stride on – some wearing headphones, others chatting with friends.
Every couple of minutes, a passing motorist beeps their horn in support.
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What’s behind Hollywood actors’ strike?
A huge cheer erupts as they hear news that the actors will soon be joining them on the picket line.
They know a walkout of 98,000 members of SAG-AFTRA, the actors’ union, makes their strike action even more impactful.
In total, an estimated 160,000 actors and performers are expected to take part.
Production had been limping along in a small number of shows and films which were already written.
This dual strike, the first for 63 years, means the entertainment industry will grind to a complete halt almost immediately.
Without writers and actors, very little can be achieved.
“We didn’t want it to come to this,” Michele Mulroney, the Writers Guild of America vice president, tells me, “We would rather be practising the craft we love of writing and acting. But unfortunately the studios have been unwilling to seriously consider the existential needs of our two memberships. The Screen Actors Guild has been standing with the Writers Guild since day one, and we will now stand with them.”
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Why are US actors striking?
SAG-AFTRA said the industrial action – which is being held amid anger over pay, conditions and concerns over the use of artificial intelligence (AI) – begins on Friday morning.
The union also warned no date for its end has been set.
As the strike was announced, stars including Matt Damon walked out of the London premiere of historical epic Oppenheimer to “write their picket signs”, the film’s director Christopher Nolan said.
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Matt Damon: ‘Actors need fair contracts’
The last time a dual strike happened Marilyn Monroe was starring in films. It is a watershed moment for the industry and it heaps pressure on the production studios and streaming giants to try and find a solution.
One of the main sticking points in negotiations were residual payments, a form of royalties, which actors say are inadequate, especially since the streamers became the dominant force in the industry.
“We’re being squeezed and squeezed and squeezed,” one picketer told me.
Another fear is the rise of artificial intelligence and the concern that an actor’s digital likeness could be used without their knowledge.
“AI just doesn’t belong in Hollywood, especially not in a writer’s room,” actor Jeante Godlock says. “All the TV shows that we watch, that we love, those one liners, they came from humans, and they came from human trauma, honestly. All the pain, the joy. It’s what we love to watch.”
The strike also means the red carpet events, the press junkets and the film premieres will stop – almost overnight. If it continues for weeks or even months, as many here think it will, the impact on the local economy could amount to billions of dollars.
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Margot Robbie would join actor strike
I ask John Patrick Daley, an actor, how long he’s willing to be on strike. “As long as it takes, I’m an actor,” he says, “You chose the wrong group to mess with in terms of not being employed because we are good at this.”
It is clear from the rhetoric that both sides remain very far apart on key issues. Hollywood is still recovering from the pandemic and an economic crisis. It is an uncomfortable time for workers and for the studio. It will now be a case of who blinks first.
Entertainment
Snoop Dogg becomes co-owner and investor of Swansea football club saying it’s ‘an underdog just like me’
Police are taking no further action over Kneecap’s performance at Glastonbury.
Officers said they had investigated “comments about a forthcoming court case made during Kneecap’s performance” at the festival on 28 June.
However, after Crown Prosecution Service advice, they decided there is not enough evidence “to provide a realistic prospect of conviction for any offence”.
The Avon & Somerset force started investigating the Irish group’s show last month, as well as comments by punk-rap duo Bob Vylan.
It said they were looking at a possible public order incident.
Police said on Friday that the investigation into Bob Vylan’s performance was ongoing.
The London duo were widely criticised – and caused a BBC crisis – after leading on-stage chants of “death to the IDF” (Israel Defence Forces).
Kneecap’s Liam Og O Hannaidh appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in June. Pic: PA
Kneecap posted a photograph on Instagram, which the group said was an email from police announcing the case was being dropped.
They said their packed Glastonbury gig was a “celebration of love and solidarity” and reporting used “wildly misleading headlines”.
Fears over what Kneecap might do or say during the performance had prompted the BBC not to show it live.
The group said: “Every single person who saw our set knew no law was broken, not even close… yet the police saw fit to publicly announce they were opening an investigation.”
“There is no public apology, they don’t send this to media or post it on police accounts,” they added.
The police statement on Friday said they had informed Kneecap of their decision to drop the case.
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One of the group’s members appeared in court in June charged with a terror offence.
Liam Og O hAnnaidh is accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah, a proscribed organisation in the UK, at a gig last year.
He was released on unconditional bail ahead of a second court appearance in August.
Entertainment
Tomorrowland: ‘Devastating’ blaze destroys main stage at major festival – two days before it was due to begin
A huge fire has destroyed the main stage of a major festival in Belgium – two days before it was due to begin.
Tomorrowland is a dance music event as big as Glastonbury – and David Guetta was due to perform.
Footage showed flames and thick plumes of black smoke engulfing the stage and spreading to nearby woodland on Wednesday.
The fire gutted the main stage
Fire crews attempt to bring the blaze under control
The annual festival in the town of Boom, north of Brussels, is one of the biggest in Europe and attracts about 400,000 people over two consecutive weekends.
It is famous for its immersive and elaborate designs and attracts big names within dance music – including Guetta, best known for tracks When Love Takes Over and Titanium.
Dutch DJs Martin Garrix and Charlotte de Witte were also due to perform, along with the likes of Swedish House Mafia, Eric Prydz and Alok.
Black smoke could be seen rising into the sky
The festival’s website described the creative elements which went into the elaborate main stage.
The theme, described as Orbyz, was “set in a magical universe made entirely out of ice” and “full of mythical creatures”.
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Organisers said no one was injured in the blaze but confirmed “our beloved main stage has been severely damaged”, adding they were “devastated”.
Spokesperson Debby Wilmsen added: “We received some truly terrible news today. A fire broke out on the Tomorrowland site … and our main stage was essentially destroyed there, which is truly awful.
“That’s a stage that took years to build, with so much love and passion. So I think a lot of people are devastated.”
Spokesperson Debby Wilmsen told reporters ‘a lot of people are devastated’
Despite the fire, Tomorrowland organisers said they were still expecting 38,000 festivalgoers at DreamVille, the event’s campsite.
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