It was 10 in the morning, adoring union members were already more or less crowding their president, Fran Drescher, and the crowd was growing by the minute.
Outside the Netflix offices in Hollywood, a festive, festive atmosphere took over the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Van Ness Avenue. It was a labor strike, sure. But it felt a bit like a summer Friday street party — one with some famous guests.
“We say we should be so grateful to do what we love to do — but not be compensated, not protected while they benefit from our work,” said Amanda Crew of HBO’s “Silicon Valley.” who walked the strike with Dustin Milligan of “Schitt’s Creek.”
“That’s the myth of the actor: You’re making art, so you should be so grateful because you’re living your dream. Why? Do we do that to doctors? We bring so much joy to people by entertaining them,” Crew added.
It was the first of what could be many days of marching for actors who have been picketing at locations across the country. They chanted, “Actors and writers unite!” as they walked down a short block in Times Square where Paramount does business; they handed out bottles of cold water and cans of La Croix outside 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Midtown Manhattan; and they jumped their picket signs to the sounds of Jay-Z’s “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” as it blared from a loudspeaker in Hollywood.
A day earlier, the Hollywood actors’ union, known as SAG-AFTRA, approved a strike for the first time in 43 years, joining forces with writers who walked out more than 70 days ago.
“There is a renewed sense of excitement and solidarity,” said Alicia Carroll, strike captain of the Writers Guild of America. “Writers have been here for over 70 days. It’s been a while and it’s hot. People are tired. So this is a confidence boost that we’re not alone in the industry in terms of problems.”
The actors and writers could not agree on new contracts with the Alliance of Film and Television Producers, which represents major studios and streamers. Salary is a central issue, but compensation negotiations have become more difficult with the advent of streaming services and the rise of artificial intelligence.
Actors, including Mrs. Drescher, the president of the actors’ union, cast the moment as a turning point, arguing that the entire business model for the $134 billion. American film and television business has changed. They say their new contract must account for those changes with various fences and protections, including increased residual payments (a type of royalty) from streaming services. They are also worried about how AI could be used to reproduce their work: scripts in the case of writers and digital copies of their likenesses for actors.
Hollywood companies insisted they worked in good faith to reach an acceptable deal in what was also a difficult time for an industry that has been upended by streaming and continues to deal with the lingering effects of the pandemic.
“The union has unfortunately chosen a path that will lead to financial hardship for countless thousands of people who depend on the industry,” the studio alliance said in a statement after SAG-AFTRA announced the strike.
On Friday, writers said they were encouraged to be joined on the picket lines by actors, many of whom have been marching with them for months in the black-and-yellow T-shirts that have become something of a uniform. It is the first time since 1960 that actors and screenwriters have gone on strike at the same time.
WGA leaders shared picket line advice: Bring plenty of sunscreen and set a timer to reapply, watch out for traffic. But some actors were already veterans.
“I haven’t been to a picket without SAG-AFTRA members there. Sometimes they even outnumbered us here in the east,” said Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, vice president of the Writers Guild of America, East. “They have been our loyal supporters and comrades, and we intend to reciprocate.”
“Suddenly,” she added, “the sleeping giant awoke.”
An animated Ms. Drescher, in a white SAG-AFTRA cap emblazoned with the words “negotiating committee,” arrived to an exuberant crowd that wrapped around her as she visited the pickets outside Netflix’s offices in Los Angeles.
“I’m really not here for myself as much as the 99.9 percent of the membership, who are working people who are just trying to make ends meet to put food on the table, pay rent and get their kids to school,” she said. . “They’re the ones who are being squeezed out of their livelihood, and it’s just pathetic.”
Shara Ashley Zeiger, an actor, brought her 2-year-old child, Lily, to the picket outside the NBC offices in New York. A sign protruded from her daughter’s stroller. Lily played with her food – and a tambourine.
“The effects of this deal directly affect my daughter and my family,” Ms. Zeiger said.
She added: “I had a role in a project that was on a streamer, and their deal was that they didn’t have to pay me residuals for two years. And it was in the middle of the pandemic.”