Celebrities use every opportunity they can to flaunt their lavish Halloween costumes, which are frequently inspired by popular films and television series.
However, things will look a bit different this year as performers have been informed that dressing up as characters from popular series and movies would be a violation of the rules of the ongoing Hollywood strike. This year’s event will have a little different vibe.
Therefore, you are not allowed to dress up like Barbie, Wednesday Addams, or any film superheroes.
According to the actors’ union, donning such costumes would serve as an endorsement for the content produced by the studios with which they are in a contractual dispute.
Members of Sag-Aftra were given the advice to select costumes that were “inspired by generalized characters and figures” such as a ghost, zombie, or spider.
Alternatively, the union recommended that performers may dress as characters from content that does not come within the strike guidelines, such as characters from an animated television show.
“Let’s use our collective power to send a loud and clear message to our struck employers that we will not promote their content without a fair contract!”
In response, Ryan Reynolds joked on X, which was then known as Twitter, that he would “look forward to screaming’scab’ at my eight-year-old all night”
He concluded by saying “She’s not in the union but she needs to learn.”
The advise from SAG-AFTRA was issued as the strike by actors, which has prevented members of the union from completing any work for major US studios, is getting close to reaching the 100-day mark.
The majority of the production has been put on hold ever since it began since the two parties have been unable to reach an agreement over the requests that have been made, which include greater pay, a share of the earnings from streaming, and security against artificial intelligence replicating the performers’ looks and voices.
The most recent round of negotiations came to an end a week ago, with studio representatives stating that the discussions were “no longer moving us in a positive direction.”
This week, a group of A-list stars led by George Clooney presented a proposal to the union in an effort to break the impasse that has existed between the two parties.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, on Tuesday, Clooney, Reynolds, Scarlett Johansson, Kerry Washington, Tyler Perry, Bradley Cooper, Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Emma Stone, and Laura Dern participated in a Zoom call with union leaders.
The phrase “generous concept”
Clooney and his fellow high-profile actors proposed that higher earners should pay a higher proportion of their income in the form of union dues. He calculated that this would generate approximately $50 million (£41 million) annually.
According to reports, this is done with the intention of bridging the gap between what the union is requesting and what the studios are ready to offer.
According to a statement released by Sag-Aftra, the organization is “grateful that some of our most successful members have engaged to offer ideas and support.”
In addition to this, it stated that “this generous concept is worthy of consideration; however, it is in no way related to and would have no bearing on this present contract or even as a subject of collective bargaining.”
According to the laws governing employment in the United States, doing so is illegal. For instance, the entirety of the funding for our pension and health programs comes from payments made by the employers. Furthermore, it does not give any indication of the scope of the total product.
They stated that the strike would continue for “as long as it takes” to achieve their goals.
“For 98 days, we’ve stood strong, united in our pursuit of justice, fairness, and the value we bring to the industry.”
A strike involving screenwriters that lasted for 148 days came to an end just this past month.
