Hollywood heavyweights lead strike rally of actors and writers in Times Square
- Screen Actors Guild members went on strike on July 14, joining film and TV writers in the first dual work stoppage in Hollywood in 63 years
- Actors are concerned that studios could use their digital images without permission or deploy synthetic actors created with AI
Hollywood A-listers including Emmy winner Bryan Cranston and a group of Oscar winners led a large rally of striking actors and writers in New York’s Times Square, as the stalemate with studios and streamers dragged on.
A day after a Variety report questioned the lack of A-listers that have hit picket lines thus far, the rally Tuesday boasted more star wattage than perhaps any single strike action yet. Academy Award winners Brendan Fraser, Jessica Chastain and F. Murray Abraham were among the stars joining the mass of demonstrators.
Movie and television production has effectively shut down in the United States since thousands of members of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) guild walked off the job on July 14, joining writers who have been on strike for weeks.
Both guilds are demanding better pay and job security, as well as safeguards against the threat posed by artificial intelligence as they pursue the first industry-wide walkout in 63 years.
“We will not be having our jobs taken away and given to robots,” Breaking Bad star Cranston told attendees, referring to fears about AI being used to recreate an actor’s likeness.
Surrounded by Times Square’s giant screens, which often advertise the latest movies and streaming series, Cranston delivered a message to Disney boss Bob Iger, the target of the actors’ ire.
