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Members of the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and the Writers Guild of America (WGA) demonstrated outside Paramount Studios in Los Angeles on Friday, lining the sidewalks and shouting, “Whose stories? Our stories”, in solidarity with each other. Despite the summer heat, scores of actors and writers turned out to show their support for one another and to express their frustration at Hollywood studios and streamers failing to strike fair deals with their respective unions for new deals. Lady Gaga songs like “The Edge of Glory” and “Poker Face” played on a loop outside Paramount while dozens and dozens of people carried signs reading “I’d like a escort yacht one day,” “I’m Netflix Barbie: Poor,” and “AI Has No Childhood Trauma.”
Some actors who spoke to Rolling Stone expressed concerns about salaries, outstanding balances and the general state of the industry, but the topic on everyone’s lips was artificial intelligence. Bri Collins, who starred most notably in Amazon’s The Underground Railroad as a character named Olivia, said she came to strike against Paramount because she believes AI “is going to be a major downfall for our industry.”
“It’s just crazy how they can use our image,” Collins said.
Prior to starring in the seven Emmy Award-nominated Amazon TV miniseries The Underground Railroad, created by Barry Jenkins, Collins says she started out in Hollywood as a background actress. While artificial intelligence is an urgent matter for all actors, it is especially important for background actors, who are already paid so little but depend on their performances to earn their salary and advance their careers in the industry, Collins said.
“I started as a background worker many, many years ago and it’s very important that they get paid for what they actually do,” she said. “Just knowing that these producers want to use their scans forever without giving their consent, giving them proper compensation for doing so, or without their knowledge to do so, I find disgusting.”
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Voice actor Nicole Vigil said she surfaced Friday because she was frustrated that the studios “haven’t stepped into the 21st century and kept up with technology, including AI.” For years, Vigil has voiced characters in video games such as Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series, and Assassin’s Creed II: Discovery. Given her role in the entertainment industry, Vigil finds it particularly important to implement guidelines for the use of AI.
“AI is currently a kind of Wild West. It has been in development for many years, but it seems to have picked up speed in the last year, particularly in the last six months, and it seems that lawmakers are always behind the ball when it comes to putting up guard rails on anything, which is why we need the union more than ever to take the lead in this fight,” explained Vigil.
“We don’t want to get rid of the AI, that’s a misconception that a lot of people have towards people on strike,” she added. “AI can be a great thing, it can be an incredibly helpful thing, but it can also be an incredibly dangerous thing, so we need some guard rails so people can continue to make a living.”
Brian Lee, a 30-year-old actor, said he agrees that AI needs to be regulated because actors already make such low wages compared to CEOs and studio executives who would eventually benefit from artificial intelligence.
“It’s really sad that CEOs are making millions and millions of dollars and they don’t want to give us just a small percentage of it. And it will get worse if we don’t regulate AI,” he said.
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The worst-case scenario, according to Lee, is that if studios and streamers are allowed to use artificial intelligence as a means to perpetuate the likeness of actors and entertainers, his entire job and career “could just disappear out of nowhere.”
“Sometimes you think you’re working, and then all of a sudden – bam! – Your job is gone and your livelihood is gone,” Lee said. “It’s been a struggle enough just to get a steady job over the years, not to mention having to deal with robots potentially taking over the world and all that other stuff. We need to come together and come to a mutual understanding.”
Jenny Anne Hochberg (center) joins SAG-AFTRA members and supporters to cheer and shout as she poses for a group photo at the picket line as the SAG-AFTRA Actors Union strike continues for the 9th day off Paramount in Times Square on July 21, 2023 in New York City. Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images
In solidarity with SAG-AFTRA, aspiring actors who are not yet members of the guild also attended the strike on Friday. You don’t have to be a union member to solve the same problems, they told Rolling Stone. Anna Manheimer, a 35-year-old Los Angeles resident, shared other actors’ views on artificial intelligence.
“I don’t think AI can write or act. It’s soulless,” Manheimer said. “It lacks real life experience. Sure, it can learn 100 years of film industry history and achievements, but nothing touching, personal, or unique will emerge, and those are the things that grab our attention when we’re watching TV shows, movies, or other projects.”
Keira Weiss, a 19-year-old college student and aspiring actress, agreed. Weiss said she looks forward to finally going on strike in person and standing up for young, aspiring actors who are concerned about how AI may impact the entertainment industry early in their careers.
“Right now, as part of the young generation and seeing what AI is and the impact it will have on us in the future, it’s scary,” Weiss said. “For the performers, it’s scary, it’s terrifying.”
Background actress Cora Maple Lindell said she’s grateful that artificial intelligence became such a big topic of conversation during the strike because now people in the entertainment industry are taking a closer look at the potential risks before it’s too late. AI doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing for actors, Lindell said, but if those increased talks hadn’t happened because of the strike, the studios might have let it get out of hand.
“If this attack hadn’t happened now, the AI might have gotten out of hand,” Lindell said. “But given the response we’re having right now, I think it’s something that can be used to benefit everyone rather than harm people.”
Noelle Renee Bercy in Marvel’s Cloak & Danger. Alfonso Bresciani via Getty Images
Outside of the AI issue, striking actors outside of Paramount Studios also voiced their concerns about wages, balance sheets and the industry at large.
David Beeks, who starred in the Hulu miniseries Pam & Tommy, told Rolling Stone he doesn’t think the streaming model is realistic or fair for professional actors.
“Streaming has changed the way the entertainment ecosystem works tremendously,” said Beeks. “Studios just aren’t making as much money as they used to, and they don’t want to share it with us, but we’re not making as much money as we can afford.”
Noëlle Renée Bercy, who starred in Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger and has been taking part in various strikes across Los Angeles throughout the week, believes events in Hollywood reflect larger societal issues affecting workers in all industries.
“AI is not the only problem. It’s greed,” Bercy said. “Human greed is the problem.”
Greed is also the biggest problem for background actress Kimani Bradley, who has appeared in shows like Your Honor and Scream Queens, as well as the 2020 film Antebellum, starring Janelle Monáe.
“I believe that everyone from the janitor up needs to earn a fair wage,” Bradley said. “Netflix, man, they make almost a billion dollars a month. In the meantime, the bank won’t cash even a check as small as the one it sends to actors for final payments. Why even bother mailing those pennies checks?”
Bercy played the role of Evita in the Marvel series Cloak and Dagger, which aired on Freeform for two seasons beginning in June 2018 before being canceled in May 2019. According to Bercy, her final balance from Marvel/Disney was 14 cents.
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After appearing on Amazon’s The Underground Railroad, Collins said she was barely making any money from closeouts, a norm she hopes will change for actors.
“I’m on an Emmy Award-nominated TV show and I haven’t seen a penny in over a year,” Collins said. “I hope they can start paying us because there are so many people who sign up for Amazon that they make billions of dollars every month. Also Netflix and all major studios.”