LAST UPDATE | 3 Aug 2023
IRISH ACTORS AND writers have joined the picket line in Hollywood for a ‘get together’ to express solidarity with those striking over pay issues and AI threats to their jobs.
Irish members of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) and the Writers’ Guild of America (WGA) joined demonstrations outside Paramount Studios at 9am local time (5pm Irish time).
Ruth Negga, Jason O’Mara and Olivia Tracey were among those who joined the demonstration today.
Speaking to The Journal earlier, actor Alan Smyth, who has lived in LA for 16 years and organised the gathering, said the aim was to show support to those who have been striking for several weeks – or months, in the case of writers – and to boost morale on the picket lines.
“There’s a novelty aspect to it,” he said. “Anything that keeps the media attention on the strike is very, very important.”
“[We'll have] somebody playing the harp, we may have a guy who plays bodhrán to walk around with us, we’ll have speakers playing.”
Irish/ Irish-American @sagaftra @WGAWest members… REMINDER: Picket tomorrow (Thursday), Paramount Studios from 9am. We’ll have some ‘Fighting Irish’ tunes (requests taken) - First 100 gets a Shamrock name tag! (Yes, they arrived!!!) #UnionStrong #SAGAFTRAstrike ✊🏻🪧☘️
— AlanGSmyth (@AlanGSmyth) August 2, 2023
The WGA walkout, which kicked off on 2 May over pay and the threat of artificial intelligence, has brought US film and television production to a halt.
Writers have been joined on the picket lines since last month by the much larger Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) – including A-list stars such as Sean Penn – ramping up pressure on the likes of Disney and Netflix to return to negotiations.
Actors and writers are protesting the end of “residuals” – payments made to them for reruns of shows or films they worked on – as streaming replaces network television.
Smyth said that everyone in Hollywood, from A-list celebrity actors to “jobbing” actors who make a living off bit parts or advertising, is feeling the effects of residuals cheques drying up.
“Everyone has seen their rates and their money and their conditions just deteriorate,” he said.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland earlier today, Irish actor Jason O’Mara said that residuals help actors get by when work is hard to find. “Even more successful actors have long periods of unemployment and residuals are like royalties.
I was just on @RTERadio1 Morning Ireland talking about this. It’s become a thing! If you’re in the LA area come along to support the #SAGAFTRAstrike and the Irish #sagaftramembers at Paramount Studios Thursday morning! There will snacks and sun block! #SAGAFTRAstrong https://t.co/ST3LvCrU0m
— Jason O'Mara (@jason_omara) August 3, 2023
“They can really help even out the highs and lows of a career.”
Smyth added that, for unionised actors, residuals contribute towards their eligibility for health insurance. Around 87% of SAG-AFTRA members earn less than $26,000 a year from acting, making them ineligible for health coverage through the union.
He also said he knew people in the business who were on the verge of losing their homes.
The WGA said on Tuesday that studios had requested a meeting this week to discuss negotiations.
The first Hollywood “double strike” by writers and actors in six decades has meant movie productions are shut down, glitzy premieres are scrapped, and events such as the Emmys are delayed as stars are banned from promoting TV shows.
The strikes are costing the entertainment industry and the California economy several million dollars per day.
Other major disagreements include the growing trend for TV shows to hire fewer writers, for shorter durations, to script series – and studios’ refusal to offer protection against the future use of artificial intelligence in writing.
Additional reporting by AFP
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