As the SAG-AFTRA strike drags on, union leaders issued a statement to their members about Halloween costumes, urging them not to don any outfits which would promote struck Hollywood projects.
The guidelines were created for members looking to “celebrate Halloween this year while also staying in solidarity” with the strike. The informative flyer shared to the SAG-AFTRA strike page on Wednesday said, “Choose costumes inspired by generalized characters and figures (ghost, zombie, spider, etc.).”
They also recommend dressing up as characters “from non-struck content, like an animated TV show.”
It also said actors should not “post photos of costumes inspired by struck content to social media” because that would give the studios publicity.
“Let’s use our collective power to send a loud and clear message to our struck employers that we will not promote their content without a fair contract!” the flyer said.
Some of the most popular costumes this year are Barbie and Wednesday Addams, but neither of those would be permitted with the proposed union guidelines.
Actor Ryan Reynolds reacted to the flyer with a post on X, writing, “I look forward to screaming ‘scab’ at my 8 year old all night. She’s not in the union but she needs to learn.”
I look forward to screaming “scab” at my 8 year old all night. She’s not in the union but she needs to learn
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) October 19, 2023
Talks between the actors’ union and AMPTP are currently at a standstill. “After meaningful conversations, it is clear that the gap between the AMPTP and SAG-AFTRA is too great, and conversations are no longer moving us in a productive direction,” studio reps said in a statement on October 12. This led to those conversations being “suspended” for now, per Deadline.
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At the time, SAG-AFTRA reps accused the studios of using “bully tactics” and misrepresenting the negotiation details when talking to the press.
Industry professionals were hoping that the recently ratified contract between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) would spur a similar agreement with the actors as both were on strike at the same time. But the past few weeks have not seen any progress toward a mutual agreement.
One of the major point of contention remains how much actors get paid in revenue sharing for streaming residuals.