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Since July 14, Hollywood\u2019s striking actors have stood in solidarity as its union pushed through contract negotiations with major studios and streamers. A crack in that unity appeared this weekend, but it wasn\u2019t caused by any maneuvers by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). Instead, actors openly mocked the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) after it offered guidance on what Halloween costumes its members should wear. The response was fast, and furious.<\/p>\n
Of course, that\u2019s meant only figuratively, as dressing up like any member of the Toretto family would violate the rules. According to SAG-AFTRA strike guidance released Wednesday<\/a>, members should dress up as \u201ccharacters from non-struck content\u201d or as \u201cgeneralized characters and figures (ghost, zombie, spider, etc).\u201d Therefore, as struck studio Universal Pictures owns The Fast and Furious<\/em> universe, Dom\u2019s greasy tank and dirty work pants are off the table.<\/p>\n While the strike\u2019s other rules<\/a> around promotions of struck material and the like have been supported by all but its loosest-lipped members<\/a>, this guidance apparently went too far. Melissa Gilbert<\/strong>, the longtime actor who led the union from 2001-2005, was the first to speak out.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cTHIS is what you guys come up with?\u201d Gilbert asked<\/a> in an Instagram post. \u201cLiterally, no one cares what anyone wears for Halloween.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, do you really think this kind of infantile stuff is going to end the strike? We look like a joke. Please tell me you\u2019re going to make this rule go away\u2026 and go negotiate!<\/p>\n Tagging current SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher<\/strong> twice, Gilbert continued. \u201cFor the love of God, people are suffering mightily, and this is what you have to say\u2026 c\u2019mon guys\u2026This is the kind of silly bullshit that keeps us on strike. \u2018Let\u2019s enact a policy that makes us look petty and incompetent at the same time.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Giving lie to Gilbert\u2019s assertion that \u201cno one cares\u201d about Halloween costumes, in a since-expired Instagram story, actress and musician Mandy Moore<\/strong> asked, \u201cIs this a joke?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cCome on @sagaftra. This is what\u2019s important? We\u2019re asking you to negotiate in good faith on our behalf,\u201d she continued. \u201cSo many folks across every aspect of this industry have been sacrificing mightily for months. Get back to the table and get a fair deal so everyone can get back to work.\u201d<\/p>\n Via X (formerly Twitter), Ryan Reynolds<\/strong> was more succinct, but no less cutting. \u201cI look forward to screaming \u2018scab\u2019 at my 8-year-old all night,\u201d he tweeted<\/a>, referring to the derisive term used for those who violate strike rules. \u201cShe\u2019s not in the union, but she needs to learn.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite the uproar from its members, the union is standing firm. \u201cSAG-AFTRA issued Halloween guidance in response to questions from content creators and members about how to support the strike during this festive season,\u201d a union spokesperson said in a statement reported by Variety<\/a>. \u201cThis was meant to help them avoid promoting struck work, and it is the latest in a series of guidelines we have issued.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt does not apply to anyone\u2019s kids,\u201d the spokesperson said. But the guidance suggests that if an actor’s kids dress up in struck garb, their parents better keep the costumes offline, as members shouldn’t \u201cpost costumes inspired by struck content to social media.\u201d That\u2019s because \u201csocial media photos of costumes inspired by content covered by the strike could be considered publicity work,\u201d the New York Times reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n Responding to criticism that the Halloween rules would impede negotiation, the SAG-AFTRA statement also noted, “We are on strike for important reasons, and have been for nearly 100 days. Our number one priority remains getting the studios back to the negotiating table so we can get a fair deal for our members, and finally put our industry back to work.\u201d<\/p>\n But one striking actor wonders if there\u2019s something more sinister at play here, a seasonally appropriate level of dread regarding moves just beneath the surface. \u201cThere\u2019s something in me that just not buying this,\u201d actor Steven Weber<\/strong> wrote in the comments to Gilbert\u2019s incensed post. \u201cIt\u2019s too petty, too weak. And of course the AMPTP will amplify this. Not buying it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n