Haunted Mansion, a premiere without stars as strike bites
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LOS ANGELES – The first major world premiere since Hollywood actors went on strike
The Haunted Mansion premiere at Disneyland in California last Saturday evening was scaled back after actors took to picket lines, and movie and television production ground to a halt in the most serious Hollywood strike in decades.
Screen Actors Guild (SAG-Aftra) members have joined writers who have been on strike for weeks, triggering the first industry-wide walkout for 63 years.
“I’m a director, a writer and an artiste in this industry. And it’s really, really hard,” said Justin Simien, director of Haunted Mansion, at the premiere. “I absolutely support them (the actors), and I’m part of the fight myself.”
Disney still laid a red carpet at the theme park’s Haunted Mansion ride, but none of the movie’s stars attended, including LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Danny DeVito and Jamie Lee Curtis.
“I miss them terribly,” Simien, 40, said. “I wish I could celebrate with them here.”
Actors formally went on strike at midnight last Thursday after negotiations to reach a new deal with production studios ended without an agreement.
The union’s demands have focused on dwindling pay in the streaming era, and the threat posed by artificial intelligence.
The “double strike” has shut down all American productions, with limited exceptions such as reality and game shows. AFP
