The Front Page: The shows and movies affected by Hollywood actors strike

Actors in the Sag-Aftra union have joined striking writers. Photo / Getty Images

Hollywood actors and the studios that employ them are at loggerheads in negotiations over pay and working conditions.This is the first time in decades both actors and screenwriters have been involved in strike action against the studios.

New York Times entertainment reporter Brooks Barnes tells The Front Page podcast this strike action involves everyone from A-list actors to background performers.

“Anyone who is a member of the Screen Actors Guild, known as Sag-Aftra, is on strike,” says Barnes.

There are about 160,000 members in this union and the strike action precludes them from performing in any TV show or movie currently filming.

They also can’t publicise any films or shows that have already been made, severely hampering any promotional campaigns that had been planned months in advance.

This strike action is centred in Hollywood, but Barnes explains that it will also impact the production of any films being shot by US studios in other countries.

“On the movie side, Twisters, the big sequel, Deadpool 3, Venom 3 the next Mission Impossible those were all filming overseas and have had to stop,” says Barnes.

This strike action isn’t about multi-millionaires wanting bigger pay packets. Barnes explains it’s actually focused on the opposite end of the spectrum.

“It boils down to pay. They want more, and this applies to contract minimums. Almost no one you’ve heard of works for a contract minimum, which certainly doesn’t apply to named stars who can negotiate bigger paydays. And they also want higher residual payments or royalties for streaming shows.”

Another important aspect of this round of negotiations involves the growing impact of AI, which could see the likeness of actors used more widely than they initially expected. One shocking recent example involved a studio wanting to pay a background actor for one day’s work, scan them digitally, and then use their AI-generated likeness from there on.

“Actors want guardrails, assurances and contractual promises that studios can’t take their likeness without their approval and their compensation – and they also want to ensure that a studio can’t alter a performance using AI without compensation or approval.”

• So, will actors and writers be able to reach an accord on these issues?
• How worrying is the potential impact of AI on this industry?
• How long will it take before the impact hits NZ cinemas and streaming services?
• Will this have an effect on films and shows made by international studios?
• And are the studios simply putting shareholder interests ahead of the people who make the content?

Listen to the full episode of The Front Page podcast to hear Barnes elaborate on all these issues.

The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am. It is presented by Damien Venuto, an Auckland-based journalist with a background in business reporting who joined the Herald in 2017.

You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.