Actors' strike stalks Venice film festival from start to end
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[September 09, 2023]
By Crispian Balmer
VENICE (Reuters) - A strike by Hollywood actors kept most stars away
from this year's Venice Film Festival, and even the few A-listers who
did venture into town seemed guilty about being on the red carpet rather
than the picket line.
On the last full day of the competition on Friday, Oscar winner Jessica
Chastain told reporters she was "incredibly nervous" to come to Venice
to promote her independent movie "Memory", even though she had a waiver
from unions to attend.
"Some people on my team advised me against it," Chastain said, adding
that she had decided to come to give vocal support for the Screen Actors
Guild (SAG) and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
(AFTRA).
Actors went on strike in July, joining writers who had walked off the
job in May, to demand that streaming sites and film studios improve
their contracts and impose curbs on the use of artificial intelligence.
"I am here because SAG-AFTRA has been explicitly clear that the way to
support the strike is to post on social media, walk the picket lines and
to work and support interim agreement projects," Chastain said.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Sep/09/images/ads/current/elkhart_grain_sda_FAIR_2023.png)
The strikes have shut down both television and movie productions in
Hollywood, but some projects that have no affiliation to the big
studios, like "Memory", are receiving passes to keep on working or do
normal promotions if they comply with the most recent union demands.
SOLIDARITY
Venice's artistic director Alberto Barbera had predicted that the actors
of just three of the 23 films in competition would not be able to come
to the festival because of the strike.
That meant the likes of Emma Stone, Michael Fassbender and Bradley
Cooper, stars of "Poor Things", "The Killer" and "Maestro" respectively,
did not show up, as predicted.
However, many other A-listers in smaller or foreign productions also did
not go, including Lea Seydoux, Penelope Cruz and Liam Neeson. No
official reason was given, but one festival insider said she believed it
was out of solidarity.
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![](../images/090923PIX/ent_b.39.jpg)
The 80th Venice Film Festival - Juries' photocall - Venice, Italy
August, 30, 2023. Venezia 80 Competition Jury President Damien
Chazelle shows off his tshirt as he poses. REUTERS/Yara Nardi/File
Photo
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Sep/09/images/ads/current/fcs_funeral_lda_border_04029022.png) A number of independent films, such
as Ava DuVernay's "Origin", also did not present their top-billing
actors because the producers had not signed the latest union
demands, fearing this might hamstring them as they sought
distribution deals.
Without their actors, the directors did most of the talking and were
regularly quizzed about the dispute.
Some came out fully supportive of the stoppage. "I'm totally behind
the unions' hard work to fight for fair compensation," said Sofia
Coppola, in Venice for the premiere of her latest movie "Priscilla".
Other directors were less forthright.
"I can't say I have answers or real suggestions," said Wes Anderson,
who brought his short feature "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar",
but had to walk the red carpet without his cast, that included
Benedict Cumberbatch, Dev Patel and Ben Kingsley.
Some of the actors who did make it to the festival wore T-shirts
promoting the strike, as did the president of the main jury,
Oscar-winning director Damien Chazelle.
Herself wearing a union T-shirt, Chastain said on Friday actors
often felt they had to keep quiet to safeguard their future job
prospects, but added that this was a mistake.
"That is the environment that I think has allowed workplace abuse to
go unchecked for many decades. And it's also the environment that
has saddled members of my union with unfair contracts," she told
reporters.
(Additional reporting by Hanna Rantala; Editing by Alison Williams)
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