The Screen Actors Guild are the latest to join the picket line, as the SAG-AFTRA strike began last night. However, many people are still confused over what exactly that means for the stars of Hollywood, but luckily Sean Gunn is here to help clear that up.
We’ve already seen Christopher Nolan and the cast of Oppenheimer walk straight from the movie’s premiere to join the picket lines, and plenty of actors have already pulled out of public appearances, too. The full list of what Hollywood actors can and can’t do was tweeted out online by Variety, but the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 star took issue with the way the information was worded.
The tweet from Variety states that actors cannot partake in things such as touring, social media, podcast appearances and so many more. From the information that gives us, you would be under the impression that those striking won’t be able to do anything at all. It sounds like even taking a selfie and sharing it on social media would be breaking the rules.
Gunn’s problem mostly comes from the fact that it leaves out vital information in regards to the context of these situations. As he stated in his own tweet, it’s only when actors are doing promotion or publicity services for an upcoming film are they not allowed to do these things.
They can still use social media and appear in public for their own personal reasons, as long as they’re not advertising an upcoming film; so Margot Robbie could post on her social accounts, as long as she’s not dressed as Barbie.
For those who are still confused, the official union’s Twitter account has a very straightforward can and can’t do list for actors.
It is vital to make sure that information about the strike is presented as honestly as possible, since confusing information can affect people’s stance on a situation, or be misleading as Gunn puts it. Things like this can sway public perceptions, and potentially result in a loss of support for the strike.