As the writers’ strike continues into its third month, all eyes have turned to the Screen Actors Guild. With a midnight deadline looming on July 12, SAG President Fran Drescher is currently in negotiations with Alliance of Film and Television Producers (AMPTP), the group negotiating on behalf of Hollywood’s streamers and studios. Should negotiations falter, the SAG will enter into a strike of its own – and it looks like members of the guild are already gearing up for that potentiality.
While just a few anonymous insiders spoke to Deadline about the matter, they made it clear that there are quite a few union members on their side. Several lot captains and coordinators are reportedly being selected, just in case a strike materializes. The WGA’s own lot captains and coordinators – who have been integral to the strike – have also supposedly reached out to SAG members, offering their own assistance.
However, the Screen Actors Guild has yet to reach out to the WGA in an official capacity. If the SAG were to go on strike, however, they would reportedly picket alongside WGA members – and if that were to happen, it would occur on the morning of July 13, bright and early.
Deadline also notes that while a collaborative strike between the WGA and SAG is rare, it has happened in the past. Back in 1960, for instance, the WGA was in the midst of a strike when then-SAG President Ronald Reagan – yes, that Ronald Reagan – called for a strike on behalf of the Screen Actors Guild.
98 percent of SAG members have already voted in favor of a strike. While speculation exists that Drescher will be taking a deal with AMPTP, others believe this would be a mistake. The top brass over at the Directors Guild of America has just recently gotten some heavy criticism from its members for taking a deal without consulting them, and Drescher could incur similar ire if she does something similar.
Additionally, the Screen Actors Guild is probably the most high-profile of the unions representing the industry’s creatives. Several actors have already come out in support of the strike – a letter to Drescher actually went viral just last week. In that letter, many of Hollywood’s biggest actors and actresses have made known their stance on the issue. With celebrities like Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, and hundreds of others affixing their seal of approval to the strike, it would be very difficult for Drescher to justify a deal.