Meryl Streep, along with other leading actors, vow to strike if necessary.

Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, and Other A-List Actors Ready to Strike

A group of world-renowned actors, including Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lawrence, have sent a powerful message to Hollywood studios. In a letter addressed to the Screen Actors Guild negotiators, they express their readiness to go on strike if their demands are not met.

This move by some of the biggest faces in the entertainment industry adds even more turbulence to Hollywood, as writers have already been on strike for weeks, fighting for what they believe is a fairer deal.

An Unprecedented Inflection Point

“This is an unprecedented inflection point in our industry, and what might be considered a good deal in any other year is simply not enough,” the letter states. “We feel that our wages, our craft, our creative freedom, and the power of our union have all been undermined in the last decade. We need to reverse those trajectories.”

Joining Streep and Lawrence are other household names such as Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Ben Stiller, Brendan Fraser, Neil Patrick Harris, Quinta Brunson, Rami Malek, and Amy Schumer. Over 300 A-list actors have signed the letter, which was sent to the Screen Actors Guild — American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

While the group emphasizes that no one wants a strike due to the hardships it brings, they are prepared to take that step if they believe it is necessary.

The actors union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers are racing against time to reach a deal before the June 30 expiration of the union’s TV/theatrical contracts, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The writers on strike are demanding a “seismic realignment” of minimum pay rates, streaming residuals, and exclusivity provisions. They also want changes in self-taped audition practices and major regulation of artificial intelligence to ensure fair compensation when their work is used to train AI.

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Entertainment writers have been on strike for nearly two months. The Writers Guild of America West and Writers Guild of America East voted to strike in early May after failing to reach a deal with major studios. Their demands include better treatment, increased residuals, and a larger share of profits.

As a result of the writers strike, several productions have been forced to shut down.

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