Lättnad i Hollywood: ”Det har varit så jävla länge”

Since July 14, 2023, the American actors' union SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) have been on strike over an ongoing labor dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). Along with the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike (which ended on September 27, 2023), it is part of a series of broader Hollywood labor disputes. Both the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes have contributed to the biggest interruption to the American film and television industries since the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. In addition to standing in solidarity with the writers, the strike is led by changes in the industry caused by streaming and its effect on residuals, as well as other new technologies like AI and digital recreation. It marks the first time that actors have initiated a labor dispute in the U.S. since the 1980 actors strike and the first time that actors and writers have walked out simultaneously since 1960. Negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP took place from October 2–October 11, and resumed on October 24. As the longest strike in SAG-AFTRA history, its combined impact with the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike resulted in the loss of 45,000 jobs, and "an estimated $6.5 billion" loss to the economy of Southern California. According to Deadline Hollywood, the "harshest pain is perhaps felt among the below-the-line workers who've had to sell or mortgage their homes, and wipe through IRAs to survive."