Film and TV actors are still on strike in what has become the longest walkout in their history.
The strike by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (Sag-Aftra) hit its 100th day on Saturday.
While writers are busy back at work after ending their strike, there is no end in sight for actors.
Their talks abruptly ended on October 11th when studios walked away from the negotiating table saying the two sides were too far apart to go on.
The prolonged strike means films and TV shows will remain sidelined indefinitely, and it is already starting to affect the upcoming awards season.
The strike began on July 14th at what should have been a celebratory time for many performers and the industry.
Nominations for the Emmy Awards had just been announced, heaping praise on shows such as Succession, The Last Of Us and The White Lotus.
The #Barbenheimer craze was in full swing and poised to set the box office on fire, giving another jolt to still-recovering cinemas.
While the writers’ strike — declared more than two months before — had slowed the industry, it immediately ground to a halt with a fiery speech from actors guild president Fran Drescher.
Actors joined writers on the picket lines for the first dual strike in more than 60 years.
Work on new seasons of shows such as Abbott Elementary and shooting on films such as Deadpool 3 stopped.
Outside studio offices in California and New York, and at filming hubs around the country, actors have picketed, rallied and called on entertainment companies to share in a bigger share of streaming successes and give them protections from the use of artificial intelligence.
Premieres were cancelled, or featured only directors – some of whom found creative ways to spotlight the actors missing their moment.
September came and went with muted autumn film festivals and no Emmy Awards, which moved to January.
Last month’s deal between screenwriters and the studios and streaming giants led to hope that actors would reach an agreement too.
Those hopes were dashed earlier this month when negotiations broke down, leaving awards season in flux.
So for now, the picket signs will stay out, and actors will remain on pavements instead of sets.
