Video: Hollywood Productions Grind to a Halt as Actors Go on Strike

“We are being systematically squeezed out of our livelihoods and it’s not going to happen anymore.” “Hey, hey. Ho, ho! Corporate greed has got to go.” “What is decided in this strike and this negotiation is going to impact everybody. And if we don’t take control of this situation from these greedy megalomaniacs, we are all going to be in threat of losing our livelihoods.” “Because we’ve gone over to streaming, all the formulas that used to make sense no longer do. And so now you’re having actors and stunt performers and background artists and singers and dancers, all of whom are having to have second and third jobs. Basically, our careers have been turned into gig work.” “A lot of us rely on residual income and for the studios to be hesitant to give us our fair share of residual income, it’s really disappointing and it’s disheartening.” “But anyone getting into this business nowadays, there’s absolutely no way for them to make a living. They’re just, they just couldn’t afford to. Not with the paltry residuals that we get in streaming. We’ve lost so much power over the years as artists and as business people. For me, that’s one of the biggest issues I believe that we’re facing is that these producers aren’t looking at us as entrepreneurs and business people.” “You know, I worry for 160,000 souls that they are fighting for a living wage and safety on the set and continued participation in the exorbitant profits that these platforms and these studios are now making. And we haven’t ever really adjusted for what it costs to live.” “SAG-AFTRA strong. SAG-AFTRA strong. SAG-AFTRA strong. SAG-AFTRA strong.”