Halloween is right around the corner. As such, many are excited to dress as characters from their favorite movies and TV shows. However, Hollywood actors can’t enjoy that privilege this year due to their ongoing strike against major studios. SAG-AFTRA, the actors’ union, has asked its members not to dress as characters from major studios’ content. But, just because the strike says so, doesn’t mean everyone will happily comply. Case in point, the ever-cheeky Deadpool star, Ryan Reynolds.
Reynolds took to his X account to make light of the guidelines. He humorously stated, “I look forward to screaming ‘scab’ at my 8-year-old all night. She’s not in the union, but she needs to learn.”
Deadpool 3, one of Reynolds’ projects, is one of the projects worst hit by the ongoing strike. The movie was in the middle of production when the strike began and, as a result, had to be paused. Worse, there is a growing concern the movie will not be ready in time for its original release date. Given this context, it is encouraging that Reynolds still has the heart for a quip even if it’s directed at SAG-AFTRA.
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
SAG-AFTRA’s guidelines suggest members should “choose costumes inspired by generalized characters and figures (ghosts, zombies, spiders, etc.).” The union aims to prevent members from acknowledging characters from studios they are in conflict with, such as Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Netflix.
To drive this home, the union also stated that members can “dress up as characters from non-struck content, like animated TV shows.” By this, SAG-AFTRA means that members can dress as characters from studios that don’t employ their services, such as animated studios.
SAG-AFTRA did give a loophole for actors who can’t wriggle their way out of the forbidden costumes, though, and it is to not post them on social media.
SAG-AFTRA’s Halloween rules are part of the union’s strategy to deny promotion to projects by AMPTP members, including on red carpets and press junkets, and force them to the negotiating table. When the strike began in July, Oppenheimer’s cast members staged a walkout during its premiere in keeping with that rule.
The union’s Halloween rules are its latest attempt to stick to that tactic and ensure that no AMPTP studio is promoted by screen actors, even indirectly.
By the way, Reynolds isn’t the only actor who has a problem with the guidelines. Mandy Moore, known for her role in This Is Us, voiced her concerns on Instagram, urging the union to “get back to the table” and negotiate an end to the strike.
Former union president Melissa Gilbert also broke ranks and criticized the guidelines on her Instagram page, questioning their effectiveness in resolving the strike. She wrote, “THIS is what you guys come up with? Literally no one cares what anyone wears for Halloween. I mean, do you really think this kind of infantile stuff is going to end the strike? We look like a joke.”
Given Moore and Gilbert’s comments, one would think that SAG-AFTRA has been unwilling to negotiate an end to the strike. However, that is not the case. Just last week, AMPTP representatives walked out on negotiations with the guild barely a week AFTER agreeing to return to it.
SAG-AFTRA representatives have since implored the AMPTP to continue negotiations, stressing that they are willing to find a common ground. Unfortunately, the AMPTP seems determined to frustrate these efforts and has taken a “My way or the highway” approach to proceedings.
Granted, SAG-AFTRA’s Halloween guidelines seem juvenile. But one can certainly understand the union’s frustration with the major studios and its determination to use every weapon in its arsenal to force an end to the standoff.
