Oppenheimer actors leave UK premiere as Hollywood stars join writers’ strike
The cast of Oppenheimer left a London premiere early to “post their picket signs” in preparation for the “upcoming” actors’ union strike.
Follow here for real-time updates on SAG-AFTRA’s historic strike.
On Thursday (July 13) the cast of Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated atomic bomb-making film, including lead actor Cillian Murphy and co-stars Florence Pugh, Matt Damon, Emily Blunt and Ramy Malek, left the UK premiere in Solidarity with the impending strike of SAG-AFTRA.
“You’ve seen her here on the red carpet before,” Nolan announced to moviegoers.
“Unfortunately, they are off to write their picket signs for what we think is an upcoming SAG strike and are joining one of my guilds, the Writers Guild, in the fight for fair wages for working union members and we support them.”
Later that day, the SAG agreed its 160,000 members to begin striking Thursday at midnight, joining screenwriters who have been demonstrating since May – a historic move that will effectively shut down Hollywood in a way that has not happened in over 60 years is.
The decision came hours after contract negotiations with companies including Netflix, Amazon, Disney and Warner Bros. failed to complete before midnight on Wednesday (July 12).
Before the Oppenheimer During the screening, the actors walked the red carpet, posed for photos, interacted with fans and spoke to the press.
In a red carpet interview with diversityDamon said that “once the strike is officially called,” the occupation “will obviously go in solidarity.”
“That’s why we postponed it [red carpet] “Get up because we know straight away we’re going home,” he said.
The incumbent union’s demands are similar to those of its counterpart, the Writers Guild of America (WGA). The main demands of the former include higher wages, higher final payments and improved working conditions.
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“Union members should withhold their work until a fair deal can be reached,” said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA national executive and chief negotiator, during a news conference. “They left us no alternative.”
After the strike announcement, several other senior members, including Issa Rae and Jamie Lee Curtis, spoke out in support of the union’s decision and joined the strike, which could last at least six months.
OppenheimerThe premiere could be one of the last of its kind, at least while the strike is in effect. According to SAG’s strike policies, union members are prohibited from attending premieres, film festivals and awards ceremonies, or even promoting their projects on social media or in interviews.
They are also prohibited from attending conventions such as the popular Comic-Con or 90s Con to promote past or current projects done under SAG contracts.