“Oppenheimer” director Christopher Nolan told the audience at the film’s London premiere Thursday night that the film’s stars had walked out of the premiere to “write their picket signs” as part of his involvement with the Screen Actors Guild strike.
In a video shared by Deadline, Nolan made the comments shortly before the strike was officially announced.
The BBC confirmed that actors Emily Blunt and Cillian Murphy were among those who walked out.
Earlier, Blunt told Deadline on the red carpet at the premiere that they were ready to go.
“I think we’re sorting it out right now … I hope everyone gets a fair deal and we’re here to celebrate this movie. And if they say it, we’re going to walk out together united with everybody … We’re going to have to. We’re going to have to . We’ll see what happens. Right now, it’s a joy to be together,” he said.
They are among about 160,000 performers joining the picket line after negotiations with the Alliance of Film and Television Producers broke down on Thursday. SAG members have been seeking new terms on the minimum wage, residuals for shows on streaming services, pensions and the use of artificial intelligence, among other issues.
“Companies have refused to engage meaningfully on some issues and on others have shut us out completely,” SAG-AFTRA president and iconic sitcom star Fran Drescher said in a statement. 90s “The Nanny”. “Until they negotiate in good faith, we cannot begin to reach an agreement.”
This is the first SAG strike since 2000 and the first time in about 60 years that both the actors’ union and members of the Writers Guild of America are on strike at the same time. The latter has been picketing for more than two months.
