SAG-AFTRA and WGA Strikes Heat Up as Hollywood A-Listers Join Protest

As we enter Day 4 of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) strike and Day 77 of the WGA (Writers Guild of America) strike, a poignant message from The X-Files‘ 1998 spinoff movie seems poignantly apt, “Discover the past, live the present, and fight the future.” Casting a blinding spotlight on the issues faced by today's actors and writers, particularly in the age of sophisticated AI technologies and undisclosed streaming residuals, this message has found resounding resonance with Hollywood's top talents.

Yesterday, stars took to the streets in solidarity with those on strike. Among them were key figures from the long-running sci-fi series The X-Files, including David Duchovny and Annabeth Gish, who participated in an X-Files reunion outside Fox. Thomas Schnauz, a former X-Files writer and current executive producer for Better Call Saul, also attended the reunion.

In a conversation with Deadline, Duchovny emphasized the concerns surrounding streaming residuals, stating, "We always worked in a business that rewarded success and didn't want failure. Now, we have these opaque streamers who kind of tell us what’s a success and what’s a failure." Gish also expressed her concerns about the remnants of Hollywood's golden age, stating, "The residual pool can't carry us over like it used to and it's got to change."

Amid rising temperatures and the heated conversations, the strikers attracted unexpected support from local schoolchildren who were heard chanting “Strike” from a passing bus. This impromptu display of solidarity quickly went viral and added a poignant backdrop to the unfolding dialogue.

Other renowned industry figures, including Sussman Kevin from The Big Bang Theory, Kaitlyn Dever of Dopesick, and Ahsoka star Rosario Dawson, shared their own personal narratives, providing tangible evidence of the struggles faced by actors and writers aiming to navigate an increasingly complex and opaque industry landscape.

Across the country in New York, the strike found support from Kevin Bacon and several other illustrious talents, continuing the echoes of protest that the industry is urgently calling for a conscientious re-examination of existing norms and practices.

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Now, let's get a little chatty. Hollywood strikes: sounds like another sequel Hollywood doesn't need, right? But the truth of the matter begs the question: If an industry that forms one of the vertebrae of LA's spinal column is in trouble, how will the city, and indeed the world, react?

The stories that writers and actors shared during the strike reveal a gory sidestory that shouldn’t be left on the cutting room floor. While Hollywood's magic may bewitch the audiences, behind the glitter and glamor, the wizards are finding it hard to conjure up their next meal.

Now the spotlight is on residual payments and fair compensation, or, as we might say in Tinseltown, 'the lack thereof,' seriously, how much more reality TV do we need? As Duchovny rightly emphasized, opaque streamers dictating terms not just chills the spine: but takes the drama off-screen, and that's not what we signed up for.

Two words that hit like a critic’s pan - “livable wage.” When these words are echoing around the glamorous boulevards of Hollywood, it sends more chills down the industry’s spine than any scene from “Psycho.” But unlike Hitchcock’s masterpiece, we can't just 'cut' and move on to the next scene here: it's time for our industry's big-wigs to call 'Action!' on getting this sorted: and trust me, we’d love a blockbuster ending.

The rallying cry from the school bus reminds us that this affects more than just red carpets and movie premieres: this is about the next generation of actors and writers. A generation that might not just chant "Strike" but also, "I won’t even bother trying to make it in Hollywood". Now, don’t we want to keep churning out that good old Starry-eyed dream?

Brace yourself, we might be in for a rough ride. But remember, we've got both the screenplay and the performance in our hands. Here's hoping for a "Hollywood ending" that retains the magic of Tinseltown while fairing better on the justice scale. After all, as we know, the show must go on.