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| A-list US actors show they are willing to strike as union deadline looms | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence and others lend their names to demand a strong deal as writers’ strike enters third month | |
| As the US actors’ union nears its deadline to negotiate a new contract with Hollywood studios, A-list actors have made clear that they are very willing to join Hollywood’s writers on the picket line. | As the US actors’ union nears its deadline to negotiate a new contract with Hollywood studios, A-list actors have made clear that they are very willing to join Hollywood’s writers on the picket line. |
| Fran Drescher, the Sag-Aftra president, struck an optimistic note in a video to members released last week, saying negotiations with the studios were “extremely productive”. This week, news outlets reported, more than 300 actors, including some of Hollywood’s most prominent stars, circulated a letter to their union leaders urging them to fight for a strong deal, rather than compromise too soon. | Fran Drescher, the Sag-Aftra president, struck an optimistic note in a video to members released last week, saying negotiations with the studios were “extremely productive”. This week, news outlets reported, more than 300 actors, including some of Hollywood’s most prominent stars, circulated a letter to their union leaders urging them to fight for a strong deal, rather than compromise too soon. |
| The actors’ current contract with studios expires at midnight on 30 June. | The actors’ current contract with studios expires at midnight on 30 June. |
| Deadline reported on Thursday that Sag could potentially agree to extend the contract deadline, giving the union more time to negotiate a deal with studios before striking, even as Hollywood screenwriters, who have been on strike since early May, are preparing to enter the third month of picketing with no deal in sight. | Deadline reported on Thursday that Sag could potentially agree to extend the contract deadline, giving the union more time to negotiate a deal with studios before striking, even as Hollywood screenwriters, who have been on strike since early May, are preparing to enter the third month of picketing with no deal in sight. |
| Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, Quinta Brunson, Ben Stiller, Neil Patrick Harris and other celebrities signed the letter telling their leadership, “This is an unprecedented inflection point in our industry, and what might be considered a good deal in any other years is simply not enough,” Rolling Stone reported. | Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, Quinta Brunson, Ben Stiller, Neil Patrick Harris and other celebrities signed the letter telling their leadership, “This is an unprecedented inflection point in our industry, and what might be considered a good deal in any other years is simply not enough,” Rolling Stone reported. |
| One of the key concerns the actors highlighted in the letter to their union leaders this week was how their work may be changed by artificial intelligence technologies, an issue that has also become central to the ongoing Hollywood writers’ strike. | One of the key concerns the actors highlighted in the letter to their union leaders this week was how their work may be changed by artificial intelligence technologies, an issue that has also become central to the ongoing Hollywood writers’ strike. |
| “We think it is absolutely vital that this negotiation protects not just our likenesses, but makes sure we are well compensated when any of our work is used to train AI,” the actors wrote to union leaders, according to Rolling Stone. | “We think it is absolutely vital that this negotiation protects not just our likenesses, but makes sure we are well compensated when any of our work is used to train AI,” the actors wrote to union leaders, according to Rolling Stone. |
| In early June, nearly 98% of Sag members voted to authorise a strike if needed, a sign of the ongoing tensions between talent and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers as Hollywood’s business model has shifted increasingly towards digital and streaming models. | In early June, nearly 98% of Sag members voted to authorise a strike if needed, a sign of the ongoing tensions between talent and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers as Hollywood’s business model has shifted increasingly towards digital and streaming models. |
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| A spokesperson for Sag, which agreed to a “media blackout” during its contract negotiations with the studios, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. | A spokesperson for Sag, which agreed to a “media blackout” during its contract negotiations with the studios, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. |