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Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan is backing actors and writers and retiring from filmmaking amid ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes.
During the London premiere of Nolan’s new film, cast members walked out before the screening as the SAG-AFTRA strike loomed. The filmmaker now opens up about the meaning of the strike, saying: “It’s not about me.”
“No, absolutely. It’s very important that everyone understands that this is a pivotal moment in the relationship between working people and Hollywood,” Nolan told BBC News. “This isn’t about me, this isn’t about the stars of my film. This is not about me, this is not about the stars of my film.”
Actors and writers are standing against studios to protect themselves from the threat of artificial intelligence and demanding a better residual structure in the streaming age.
When Nolan took the stage at the London premiere of “Oppenheimer,” he admitted that the actors had to leave “to write their picket signs.”
“I have to give credit to our incredible cast, led by Cillian Murphy,” said Nolan. “The list is huge – Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Kenneth Branagh, Rami Malek and many more. … You’ve seen her on the red carpet before here. Unfortunately they are off to write their picket signs for what we think is an upcoming SAG strike and to join one of my guilds, the Writers Guild, in the fight for fair wages for working members of their union.”