Ian West/PA Images via Getty Images; Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images
Earlier this week, SAG-AFTRA released guidelines for members who want to “celebrate Halloween this year while showing solidarity with the strike.” Actors were advised to avoid costumes inspired by popular content – Barbie, Wednesday Addams, Marvel superheroes, etc. – and instead opt for generic characters like a ghost or a zombie.
Reaction from guild members was swift, with many criticizing the restrictions. In response, SAG-AFTRA released a clarification late Friday saying it had “issued Halloween guidance in response to questions from content creators and members about how to support the strike during this festive season.” The guild added: “It does not apply to anyone’s children. We are on strike for important reasons and have been for almost 100 days. Our top priority remains getting studios back to the negotiating table so we can get a fair deal for our members and finally get our industry back on track.”
The statement follows some high-profile backlash against the rules. On Thursday, Ryan Reynolds mocked the proposed guidelines tweeted“I’m looking forward to screaming ‘scab’ at my 8-year-old all night long. She’s not in the union, but she has to learn.”
Elsewhere, Mandy Moore posted on her Instagram Stories: “Is this a joke? Come on @sagaftra. That’s what’s important? We ask that you negotiate on our behalf in good faith. So many people in all areas of this industry have been making huge sacrifices for months. Come back to the table and get a fair deal so everyone can get back to work.”
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As the 100-day mark of the SAG-AFTRA strike approaches, members previously told Rolling Stone that this is the longest strike the union has ever achieved on the TV and motion picture agreement, and it is also the second longest Strike in the union’s history (the longest). This is the SAG strike in 2000, which lasted six months).
Brendan Bradley, Strike Captain at Paramount, called the moment “historic” and added: “This is an existential moment. “We are not leaving without fighting for some kind of victory in every category of workers.”