Actors’ unions around the world offer solidarity amid strike
SAG-AFTRA, the U.S. actors’ union that began striking on Friday, effectively shutting down Hollywood — the world’s largest entertainment industry — “has our total solidarity in this fight,” Fleming said.
“Securing fairness in pay, terms, and conditions is critical whether they be with traditional producers, or new global streamers, and with new modes of making and distributing work to a global audience,” he said.
ACTRA, which represents 28,000 performers in Canada, said it stood in “steadfast solidarity” with SAG-AFTRA actors.
“We recognize that their fight is our fight,” ACTRA president Eleanor Noble said, adding that the strike was “for the good of all performers.”
Erin Madeley, chief executive of the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance, which represents actors and crew members in Australia, said that a positive outcome for SAG-AFTRA could help actors globally.
“A win in Hollywood will set the standard for improvements for screen performers around the world,” she said.
While the unions said they stood with their American counterparts, their ability to strike alongside them may be limited by legal boundaries — including for some SAG-AFTRA members abroad.
Equity said it had been advised by its lawyers that while the SAG-AFTRA strike was legal in the United States, it is “not lawful under United Kingdom law.” As such, an actor in Britain who joins the strike “will have no protection against being dismissed or sued for breach of contract” by the production company, Equity said. SAG-AFTRA members who were working in Britain on an Equity contract should continue working, Equity said, noting that it was illegal under U.K. law for the U.S. union to discipline them for continuing to work.
The Canadian union, ACTRA, said it would support the strike “by all lawful means.”
The entertainment industry has long been an international one, with filming for Hollywood productions often happening far beyond Los Angeles. Two of the three HBO shows nominated for best drama at this year’s Emmy Awards were filmed outside the United States. “The Last of Us,” a zombie thriller, was filmed in Alberta, Canada; “The White Lotus,” a satire about extremely wealthy vacationers, was filmed at a Four Seasons hotel in Italy.
The strike could push entertainment companies to lean in further to their operations outside of the United States. Netflix said in April it was investing $2.5 billion into production of series and films in South Korea, home to hits for the streaming service like “Squid Game” and “The Glory.”
Sunder Narayanan, who teaches about the globalization of the entertainment industry at New York University, said less unionization in other countries has encouraged production companies to film outside of the United States. Labor costs are often lower, and in recent years, production standards have improved in many foreign countries, he said.
The extent of the impact to current production outside the United States was unclear in the immediate aftermath of the strike. MEAA, the Australian union, said that a “small number of productions currently underway in Australia may be impacted,” and that it would advise its members on their rights if their work was interrupted by the strike.
Variety reported that production of “House of the Dragon,” the HBO prequel to “Game of Thrones,” would continue filming in Britain, as much of its cast was covered by Equity. The U.K. union did not respond to a request for comment.
Kelsey Ables and Victoria Bisset contributed to this report.
