Nothing says festive Halloween fun like a costume ban, apparently.
SAG-AFTRA, the union representing actors currently striking has issued a warning to actors to not break strike rules during their celebrations of the spooky season.
While many of us look forward to the fun and creative ways our favorite actors dress up for Halloween, this tradition might be out for many of them this year.
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The actor's strike is quickly approaching its 100th day after talks stalled with Hollywood studios on Saturday (October 14). SAG-AFTRA said talks came to a halt after studios proposed an offer 'worth less than they proposed before the strike began'.
The actors are striking over a dispute over pay, consistency of employment and control over the use of artificial intelligence.
The SAG-AFTRA strike starting on July 19 meant it coincided with the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, ultimately bringing Hollywood to a standstill.
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Since then, WGA union was able to reach a deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) last month, ending the writers’ strike after 146 days.
Regarding Halloween, for the actors striking in hopes of getting their own satisfactory deal, SAG-AFTRA issued a statement on costumes earlier this week, according to reports.
“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,” the union guide says.
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"Choose costumes inspired by generalized characters and figures (ghost, zombie, spider, etc). Don't post photos of costumes inspired by struck content to social media [either].”
So that may put a dampener on the hopes of seeing every other actor posting pictures on Instagram dressed up as some version of Barbie or Ken.
Deadpool’s Ryan Reynolds found the lighter side of the union’s costume ban and took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to respond to the guidance.
“I look forward to screaming 'scab' at my 8 year old all night. She’s not in the union but she needs to learn,” Reynolds said following a post about the costume guidance.
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'Scab' is often used as a derogatory term for a person who crosses a picket line during a strike.
It is not clear when negotiations between the union and studios will recommence and SAG-AFRA said it was ‘profoundly disappointed’ the studio had broken off talks.
"It is clear that the gap between the AMPTP and SAG-AFTRA is too great, and conversations are no longer moving us in a productive direction," AMPTP has said in a statement.
AMPTP member companies include the major motion picture studios, notably Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures, Walt Disney Studios and Warner Bros, as well as streaming services like Netflix and Apple TV+.
Topics: Film and TV, Halloween