Hollywood Actors' Strike Reaches 100 Days: What's Happening Next (and Why No Halloween Costumes?)


Hollywood actors in TV and movies have been on strike for 100 days now, and it doesn't seem like it's ending soon. This is a big deal because their union has never gone on strike for this long before.


About a month ago, there was hope that the actors would reach an agreement, like the screenwriters did with studios and streaming companies. But those hopes got dashed when the negotiations fell apart earlier this month, making the awards season uncertain.

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Some famous Hollywood stars like George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson, and Robert De Niro had a meeting over Zoom with union leaders on October 17. They suggested that the actors who make more money should pay higher union fees, which they estimated would bring in $50 million a year.


The union, called SAG-AFTRA, said that the idea is nice but it wouldn't have anything to do with the current contract or negotiations.

On Saturday, the union and the studios announced that negotiations would start again on Tuesday, with some studio executives joining in.


Award shows might face more delays. The return of screenwriters has Hollywood's production machine running again, with people writing new seasons of TV shows and finishing movie scripts. But they can't finish making shows and movies until the actors' strike is over. This affects many TV shows and movies, including "Wicked," "Deadpool 3," and "Mission Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part 2."


The Emmys, which announced their nominations right before the actors went on strike, decided to wait for the actors and moved their ceremony from September to January. But even that date might be in danger.


The Oscars usually happen in March, but the campaigns to win them are usually well underway by now. Most actors can't promote their movies at press events or red carpets because of the strike. Director Martin Scorsese has been giving interviews about his new Oscar contender, "Killers of the Flower Moon," but actors like Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, and Robert DeNiro can't.

And here's an interesting twist: The striking actors are not allowed to dress up as characters from movies or TV shows for Halloween. The union told its members to choose costumes inspired by general characters like ghosts, zombies, or spiders. They shouldn't post pictures of costumes based on content from the studios they are in a dispute with.


In other words, no Barbie or Wednesday costumes for the striking actors. Actor Ryan Reynolds even joked about it, saying he looks forward to teasing his 8-year-old for not being in the union.