|
Hollywood actors went on strike on July 14 after talks with
studios broke down, joining film and television writers who have
been on picket lines since May and further disrupting scores of
shows and movies.
Actors union SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild of America want
increases in base pay and residuals, plus assurances they will
not be replaced by artificial intelligence (AI).
British actors' union Equity organised the rally in Leicester
Square, where movie theatres hosted UK premieres including
"Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" last week.
While actors on Equity contracts can still work, the union is in
full support of the strike and keen to make sure no loopholes
are sought, its General Secretary Paul Fleming told Reuters on
Monday.
David Oyelowo, Andy Serkis, Imelda Staunton, Naomie Harris and
Hayley Atwell also joined Friday's rally, where supporters held
placards saying "Equity stands in solidarity with SAG-AFTRA".
U.S. comedian and actor Rob Delaney, who is a member of Equity
and SAG-AFTRA, said the cross-Atlantic solidarity on show at the
rally was a "beautiful thing".
"We're going to win, we're going to show you how workers need to
be paid for their labour, and it's going to be fantastic," he
told the crowd.
Cox told reporters he was "essentially, initially" supporting
the writers.
"But of course, other things have come into play because we're
also doing our own negotiations, but our own negotiations pale
in relationship to AI, because AI is a really, really very
serious thing and that's the thing where we're most vulnerable,"
he said.
(Reporting by Paul Sandle and Farouq Suleiman; Editing by Sharon
Singleton and John Stonestreet)
[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
