Striking actors told not to dress up as film characters for Halloween – as Ryan Reynolds responds
Striking actors have been told not to dress up as popular film or TV characters this Halloween.
SAG-AFTRA, the union representing actors, has issued guidelines to make sure they do not inadvertently break strike rules.
It means those thinking of dressing up as Wednesday Addams or Spider-Man will have to think again.
“Choose costumes inspired by generalised characters and figures (ghost, zombie, spider, etc),” the union guide says.
“Let’s use our collective power to send a loud and clear message to our struck employers that we will not promote their content without a fair contract.”
“Don’t post photos of costumes inspired by struck content to social media,” it added.
In response, Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “I look forward to screaming ‘scab’ at my 8 year old all night. She’s not in the union but she needs to learn.”
Pic: AP
Scab is a derogatory term for someone who crosses a picket line during a strike.
Oscar winner George Clooney and other top Hollywood stars have offered $150m (£123.5m) to the SAG-AFTRA actors union as part of a proposal to end the actors’ strike.
Their offer, confirmed by Clooney’s spokesperson on Thursday, would provide the union an extra $150m over three years and could help fund improved health benefits.
“A lot of the top earners want to be part of the solution,” Clooney told Deadline, which first reported the news.
“We think it’s fair for us to pay more into the union.”
Talks to end the three-month strike broke down last week after resuming earlier this month for the first time since the strike began in mid-July.
Click to subscribe to Backstage wherever you get your podcasts
Studios, streaming services and production companies, under the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), announced they had suspended negotiations.
Read more entertainment news:
Gwyneth Paltrow attacks ‘nepo baby’ label after daughter starts modelling
Noddy Holder told he had just six months
AMPTP member companies include the major motion picture studios (including Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures, Walt Disney Studios and Warner Bros) as well as streaming services like Netflix and Apple TV+.
“It is clear that the gap between the AMPTP and SAG-AFTRA is too great, and conversations are no longer moving us in a productive direction,” the AMPTP said in a statement.
The union said its negotiators were “profoundly disappointed” the studios had broken off talks.
“We have negotiated with them in good faith despite the fact that last week they presented an offer that was, shockingly, worth less than they proposed before the strike began,” it added.
The strike, which will mark its 100th day on Saturday, has disrupted film and television production, leaving thousands of crew members without work as well as the actors.
Donald Trump has waded into the debate surrounding Sydney Sweeney’s jeans ad.
The American Eagle ad, which features the 27-year-old actress, who starred in the HBO series Euphoria and White Lotus, has the tagline “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans”.
It has sparked a debate in the US over race and Western beauty standards.
One of the Sydney Sweeney jeans ads. Pic: AP
In a Truth Social post, the US president described it as the “hottest ad out there”.
Hailing Sweeney as a “registered Republican”, he said the jeans are “flying off the shelves”, adding: “Go get ’em Sydney!”
Most of the criticism of the ad has centred on videos using the word “genes” instead of “jeans”, with one in which Sweeney says: “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality and even eye colour. My jeans are blue.”
Critics argued the play on words potentially promotes eugenics, a discredited theory that believed humanity could be improved through the selective breeding of certain traits.
But others have defended the ad, saying the critics are reading too much into its message.
The video appeared on American Eagle’s Facebook page and other social media channels, but is not part of the ad campaign.
In a statement on Instagram on Friday, American Eagle Outfitters said the campaign “is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story. We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”
Stocks in American Eagle Outfitters jumped by 23.3% after Mr Trump’s intervention.
Read more from Sky News:
Kremlin urges caution in nuclear rhetoric following Trump’s submarine order
Still wanted: UK riots suspects pictured in new police appeal
In his Truth Social post, which he reposted three times to fix various typos, Mr Trump compared the ad with “woke” ones “on the other side of the ledger” – as he criticised other companies, as well as hitting out at Taylor Swift.
“The tide has seriously turned – Being WOKE is for losers, being Republican is what you want to be,” he wrote.
Sky News has contacted Sweeney’s agent for comment.
Police in Tennessee have discovered 14 improvised explosive devices in a man’s home as they were arresting him, the local sheriff’s office said.
Officers were executing a warrant in the home of Kevin Wade O’Neal in Old Fort, about 45 miles (70km) east of Chattanooga, after he had threatened to kill public officials and law enforcement personnel in Polk County.
After arresting the 54-year-old, officers noticed “something smouldering” in the bedroom where he was found.
Kevin Wade O’Neal. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office
On closer inspection, they discovered an improvised explosive device and evacuated the house until bomb squad officers arrived at the scene.
Fourteen devices were found inside the property – none of which detonated.
Improvised explosive devices were found in Kevin Wade O’Neal’s home. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office
Kevin Wade O’Neal’s home in Old Fort, Tennessee. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office
O’Neal was charged with 11 counts of attempted first-degree murder, corresponding to nine officers and two other people inside the property when the suspect tried to detonate the devices.
He also faces 14 counts of prohibited weapons and one count of possession of explosive components.
Read more from Sky News:
World champion sprinter arrested for ‘assaulting boyfriend’
Trump says “nobody has asked” him to pardon Maxwell
O’Neal is being held at the Polk County jail and his bond is yet to be determined.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Sports2 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike