Daunting SAG-AFTRA warning voices fears that the acting profession will cease to exist

An informational meeting held by SAG-AFTRA yesterday afternoon offered up a bleak outlook for the future of the entertainment industry, suggesting that the acting industry may no longer exist if a new deal isn’t negotiated.

Over 760 people attended the Zoom meeting on Monday afternoon, including notable actors and actresses such as Vanessa Hudgens, Lucy Liu, Melissa McCarthy, Jon Huertas, and Josh Pence, just to name a few. SAG-AFTRA’s national executive director and chief negotiator, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, led the meeting where he spoke about revenue sharing, healthcare and retirement, online casting platforms, and AI, via Variety.

He emphasized that if the contract between the guilds and the network companies doesn’t change, acting “will no longer be an option for future generations of performers,” and those that currently work in the profession will need to seek out new lines of work.

“Without a transformative change in SAG-AFTRA’s current contract with the AMPTP, the acting profession will no longer be an option for future generations of performers, and actors already working in the industry will need to pursue other careers in order to survive.”

This is one of many predictions made since the actor’s strike began. On Sunday, former Fox and Paramount CEO, Barry Diller predicted that the entertainment industry could collapse if a deal isn’t made by September.

Participants asked if there were other ways to support the strike, such as unsubscribing from streaming services. Crabtree-Ireland said that there isn’t a rule about subscription services, but leaving the platform can be seen as one way of showing support.

SAG-AFTRA went on strike on July 14 after being unable to come up with a new deal with networks, studios and streaming companies. Multiple productions have been delayed due to actors and writers walking out of their jobs. Guild members are asking these companies for a contract that not only pays them a fair and livable wage, especially in the streaming age, but also doesn’t allow companies to use AI to indefinitely use their likenesses.