The studios dishonestly negotiated ahead of the Hollywood actors’ strike to buy time to promote their summer blockbusters, Fran Drescher, president of SAG-AFTRA, the powerful union that unites all actors in the United States, told AFP on Thursday .
• Also read: After screenwriters, Hollywood actors are also on strike
“We were fooled,” fumed the star of ’90s flagship series A Nanny, saying she was “deeply disappointed” shortly after the announcement of this historic strike.
Representatives from studios and streaming platforms “stayed behind the scenes, they kept canceling our meetings,” she said. “We probably wanted more time to promote their summer movies.”
The actors’ strike will paralyze the production of series and films in the USA, which had been shut down since the beginning of May because of the screenwriters. This dual social movement, bringing together faces and feathers of the industry, is a first in Hollywood since the 1960s.
The strike by the 160,000 actors and other film professionals represented by SAG-AFTRA bans them from participating in any form of advertising, whether it be at premieres, on the festival red carpets or on social media.
Which seriously hampers the promotion of big summer blockbusters like Christopher Nolan’s long-awaited “Oppenheimer.”
Before taking the step, the union first agreed to extend the talks by a dozen days, pushing the deadline to Wednesday evening instead of June 30.
During this time, box office giants like Barbie or the new Mission: Impossible have secured their rise by benefiting from the aura of big stars Tom Cruise, Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.
“Maybe I was naive, because it was my first big negotiation,” regretted Ms. Drescher. “Greed is at the heart of all unhappiness in the world. And this is a perfect example of that.”
“Replaced by artificial intelligence”
“I really thought we could achieve a convergence of views. That they would see this new business model being foisted on the entire industry,” she added, referring to the advent of streaming.
Like screenwriters, actors are also demanding an increase in their “residual” remuneration, which is due every time a film or series is repeated and has plummeted due to streaming.
Relevant for television, since this remuneration is calculated according to the advertising price, these remunerations are significantly lower for streaming platforms that do not communicate their ratings and pay a flat rate regardless of success.
“I think it’s insane that they don’t want to sit down and say, ‘We must honorably and respectfully stand by your side in order for you to live with this momentous change,'” continued Ms. Drescher.
The other big bargaining chip concerns the use of artificial intelligence, which is rapidly evolving in Hollywood. Disney, for example, used an AI to create the credits for its new Marvel series Secret Invasion.
The actors are demanding guarantees against the cloning of their voice and image, which is likely to be used without their consent.
“We will be systematically replaced by artificial intelligence,” fears Ms. Drescher. “We continue to be marginalized and I suggest everyone wake up.”
The Alliance of Film and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents studios and streaming platforms, said Thursday it had offered “raises”. […] historical” and “a revolutionary proposal regarding AI that protects the digital image of the actors”.
In a statement, she regretted that SAG-AFTRA “chosen a path that will result in financial hardship for thousands of people.”
Disney boss Bob Iger criticized the “unrealistic” requirements for actors and screenwriters on CNBC.
Despite her frustration with the studios, Ms. Drescher recalled that “SAG-AFTRA’s door remained open to continue negotiations.”
“The strike is not the end, it is just the next step,” she said. “We would like to continue negotiating with them. But the ball is in their hands.