It’s official, SAG-AFTRA is on strike after contract talks with the AMPTP ended without a new deal. SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher made a rousing speech, stating the obvious of current conditions are unacceptable. CEOs crying “poverty” as the excuse for being unable to pay cast and crew properly, while giving millions to shareholders, doesn’t add up. Several productions had already shut down due to the ongoing WGA strike, and several were preparing to with the possibility of SAG’s historic strike.
But there’s one series that won’t strike in solidarity, at least for now. HBO’s “House of the Dragon” will continue filming despite all.
The majority of “House of the Dragon” cast are from the UK, and part of a separate actor’s union called Equity. Under British law, members of Equity aren’t allowed to strike in solidarity with SAG-AFTRA, under penalty of fines and lawsuits.
There’s also the matter of scripts for the current season already being written before the WGA went on strike.
CEO of HBO Casey Bloys is actually in support of both strikes. “The recognition of these Emmy nominations is a reminder for everybody in the industry that we are nothing without the talents of writers and actors. This field of nominations confirms that,” Bloys told THR following the 2023 Emmy nominations. “So, it is my hope that we are able to figure something out that makes them feel… that makes everybody feel valued and want to come back to work. Because we don’t get these nominations from executives. That’s not how it works.”
Depending on how long the strikes goes on, the next season may face an indefinite hold, whether Equity likes it or not. We’ll have to take a look and see at just how these events unfold. Drescher said those fighting SAG-AFTRA for equal pay and residuals are on the wrong side of history. That the landscape for film has changed and things cannot stay as they were. And she’s absolutely right.
