Rachel McAdams and the stars of Succession joined Bridgerton costume-clad strikers on the picket lines outside Netflix and Warner Bros on Tuesday, using the walkout to promote unions’ ‘reasonable’ demands around payment and AI.
Star-studded picket lines came out for the fifth day of the SAG-AFTRA strikes and 79th day of industrial action by the Writers’ Guild of America, in what is the largest industry strike for 60 years.
McAdams, who plays Regina George in Mean Girls, told Deadline: ‘I’m out here to support the unions. I think what they’re asking for is totally within reason, nothing over-reaching.’
TV and film workers turned out at Netflix’s headquarters for ‘Bridgerton day’ as they dressed in Regency-style costume to draw attention to the cause.
Alan Ruck and Justine Lupe, who play Connor and Willa in HBO’s Succession, said AI and health insurance were major concerns for actors and writers as they joined the picket outside Warner Bros Studios.
Rachel McAdams, who plays Regina George in Mean Girls, said what the unions are striking for is ‘totally within reason’
Alan Ruck and Justine Lupe, who play Connor and Willa in HBO’s Succession, said AI and health insurance were major concerns for actors and writers as they joined the picket outside Warner Bros Studios
TV and film workers turned out at Netflix’s headquarters for ‘Bridgerton day’ as they dressed in Regency-style costume to draw attention to the cause
Striking workers brought out Bridgerton-themed placards as they went on strike outside Netflix
Bridgerton beat records as the most-viewed English language series on Netflix – now striking workers are dressing in its costume to make a point to the streamer
Ruck said: ‘No AI, proper payment, and it’s just corporatocracy. They’re like ‘more work for less pay
‘It’s like you used to have a writers room of a dozen people, and they’re like ‘no, we’re going to hire four people and then occassionally hire a few other people and they expect the same amount of work. It’s wrong.’
Justine Lupe said: ‘The fact that such a high percentage of our union can’t even get insurance because we just can’t make a living like that.
‘There’s people that used to be character actors or people that could come on for a few episodes a year and make a decent living and feel like they could kind of like float through a year and make their insurance now can’t make enough money to just get basic health care.
‘So it tells you a lot about how dismal the situation is and how many actors are getting iced out of being able to be in this business.
Others who turned out included Golden Globe-winning actress Mira Sorvino, with her family in tow, and movie and music director Mike Mills.
Scores of people turned out to picket lines outside Netflix’s studios. Bridgerton beat records as the most-viewed English language series on Netflix – now striking workers are dressing in its costume to make a point to the streamer.
Kathleen Wilhoite, Justine Bateman, Noah Wyle and Harold Perrineau Jr. attend the WGA Strike ‘Bridgerton Day’ Picket Line
Members and Supporters attend WGA Strike ‘Bridgerton Day’ Picket Line
Another picket outside Disney saw actors and writers from medical shows turn out.
They included Fame and Grey’s Anatomy star Debbie Allen said she was striking to improve health insurance availability and help increase job protection surround AI.
‘Things change, innovation happens, we have to keep moving with the times and our union is guiding us in a way that I think is correct and we need to stand up for everyone. Not just for our individual selves, but for everyone,’ she told Deadline.
‘We know studios have their agenda and God bless them and I think they’re good people but right now this is a real situation that needs to change.’
Alan Ruck described a range of issues affecting actors and writers as he went on strike at Warner Bros studios in LA
Succession actress Justine Lupe said: ‘The fact that such a high percentage of our union can’t even get insurance because we just can’t make a living like that’
Director Mike Mills outside outside the picket line on ‘Bridgerton Day’
Mira Sorvino, from second right, her children Lucia Backus and Mattea Backus, Jeff Astrof, left, and Adam Zastrow, right, carry signs on a picket line outside Warner Bros studios
Woody Allen movie star Mira Sorvino was among those striking outside Warner Bros studios
Actors joined Hollywood’s screen and television writers who have been on strike since May 2 last week when their union authorized the strike amid concerns over the use of artificial intelligence, streaming residuals, and other pressing issues.
Strikes took place outside major studios, including Warner Bros, Disney, Paramount, and Netflix in Los Angeles on Monday, though two were cut short due to ‘extreme heat’.
Busy Philipps, Awkwafina, Nina Dobrev and David Boreanaz were pictured wielding placards and marching in solidarity alongside other working actors and writers.
Kevin Bacon filmed himself amid the protest in a chorus exclaiming: ‘Actors and writers unite. We’ve got to win this fight.’
Bacon, who starred in the 1984 hit movie Footloose, was pictured in New York, where actors also picketed the offices of HBO, Amazon, Warner Bros, Netflix, Paramount and NBC Universal on Monday.
Anson Mount is seen at the SAG-AFTRA strike outside the Paramount building in Times Square
Hollywood actors, writers and their supporters walk the picket line July 18, 2023 outside Disney Studios, in Burbank, California
‘Walking the line in solidarity with my fellow SAG-AFTRA members,’ he wrote on Twitter, sharing a video of himself chanting with other union members.
Action began on Friday morning after contract negotiations between actors’ union Sag-Aftra (Screen Actor’s Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) broke down.
Lizzie McGuire star Duff, 35, was pictured out picketing in LA on Monday, later posting a selection of pictures from outside Paramount Pictures studios.
‘Out there… with my girls. We stand with our union! Let’s gooooooo,’ she captioned the post, as her How I Met Your Father co-star Francia Raisa, 34, also attended.
Community star Danny Pudi was also outside Paramount studios, following in the footsteps of his co-star Jim Rash, who attended on Friday.
‘We are here supporting the union in working on a fair contract,’ he said, adding: ‘(There’s) a lot of issues on the table, it’s good to be out here to support the union.’
Award-winning Better Call Saul actor Bob Odenkirk shared a photo of himself outside Warner Bros studios, with Kids actress Rosario Dawson also making an appearance at Paramount.
Odenkirk said: ‘I’ve been a member of Sag-Aftra since 1988, and we have to do this now, and we have to do this right so that we don’t have to do this for another 20 years. Let’s do it right, hang in there.’
