“Hollywood Actors Strike Hits 100 Days: What’s Next”

It’s almost 100 days, that Hollywood is been shut down on strike and that’s history in the making. While writers are back to their scripts, the actors are standing strong on the picket lines. They’ve been at it for a whopping 100 days, making it the longest strike Hollywood has ever seen.

Let’s break it down. The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) leaders were pretty hopeful when they sat down for talks on October 2. Just a week earlier, the big studio bosses had made a deal with the striking writers, gaining victories on issues like long-term pay, job stability, and control over artificial intelligence in scripts.

But for the actors, it’s been a slow grind. Talks were not exactly sizzling, with long breaks between sessions and no real progress to report. Then, on October 11, the studios abruptly called it quits, claiming the actors’ demands would cost them a jaw-dropping $800 million a year. The union fired back, saying the studios were overestimating the cost by a whopping 60%.

Ted Sarandos, the co-CEO of Netflix, spilled the beans, saying the union asked for a “subscriber levy” on streaming service customers. It sent the studios packing, and Sarandos admitted this really put a damper on things.

SAG-AFTRA leaders were quick to clarify that this wasn’t a tax on viewers but rather a shift in the way streaming services pay for content. They made some concessions, but the studios weren’t biting.

Now, the actors are in uncharted territory. Their union has never been on strike this long, and it’s been a lifetime for most of its members. They’re not backing down, though, and they’re ready to picket and speak out until the studios are ready to play ball again.

The studio alliance hopes they’ll come back to the negotiating table soon, but there’s no telling when that’ll happen. Fran Drescher, the SAG-AFTRA President, said they won’t back down, and this is a pivotal moment.

This strike is a record-breaker, marking the longest-ever for actors in Hollywood. The only time actors and writers went on strike together was way back in 1960, and it was all about residuals. They made a deal mid-strike to attend the Academy Awards, which isn’t allowed today.

In 1980, actors went on strike again, this time for home video and cable TV payments. They reached a deal after 67 days, but it took a while for everyone to get on the same page. This time, the Emmy Awards got caught in the crossfire. After a boycott was called, only one actor showed up to accept an award. Other parts of the actors’ union have gone on strike too, like the video game voice actors who struck for 11 months in 2016-2017.

The writers are back to work, but the actors are holding up many TV shows and movies like “Wicked,” “Deadpool 3,” and “Mission Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part 2.”

The Oscars and the Emmys are feeling the heat too, with ceremonies pushed back or threatened. Actors can’t promote their films, and it’s putting a twist on Hollywood’s awards season.

So, for now, the Hollywood saga continues, and the spotlight is on the actors as they stand their ground in this historic strike.