The cast of Christopher Nolan’s much-anticipated biographical-drama, Oppenheimer, has officially walked out of the film’s premiere in support of the SAG-AFTRA strike.
The entire cast of the film attended the UK premiere of Oppenheimer on Thursday before the official announcement of the strike. However, they walked out of the event. According to Nolan, the team walked out “to write their picket signs.”
Before the official screening began, Nolan, along with the entire cast of the film, addressed the audience in the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square theater to explain their stance.
The director thanked the entire cast for their performances, with specific mentions of Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, and Robert Downey Jr. Moreover, he also extended his support to the writers of the WGA, who were also on strike.
Check out the video of Nolan’s announcement in the tweet below:
Christopher Nolan says the cast of #Oppenheimer left the premiere to ‘go and write their pickets’ and join the strike.
Here’s what Christopher Nolan said in the Oppenheimer premiere:
“I have to acknowledge the work of our incredible cast, led by Cillian Murphy… the list is enormous Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh… and so many more. And we have to acknowledge, you’ve seen them earlier on the red carpet. Unfortunately, they’re off to write their picket signs for what we believe to be imminent strike by SAG, joining one of my guilds, the Writers Guild, in the struggle for fair wages for working members of their union, and we support them.”
As the Writers Guild of America (WGA) continues its strike for the eleventh week, another labor dispute looms in the entertainment industry.
For the uninformed, The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) is preparing a strike for several issues similar to that of the WGA strike, including adequate pay, streaming residuals, and writers’ room size. The role of artificial intelligence in script development is also a contentious point.
The SAG-AFTRA strike would involve actors demanding similar rights as the writers. The main points of contention in these negotiations are streaming residuals, AI regulations, and a new formula to determine streaming payments.
The strike is imminent, as 98 percent of SAG-AFTRA members voted in favor of a strike authorization if the talks, which started in June, do not result in an agreement.
The strike action would have far-reaching consequences beyond the Oppenheimer premiere. While the WGA strike allows productions to proceed with finished scripts, a simultaneous SAG-AFTRA strike would halt many productions and promotions for upcoming releases in the next few months. This would destabilize the industry as the supply of completed productions by television networks and movie studios dwindles.
As of now, the entertainment industry seems to be in the dark. The gesture of the Oppenheimer cast might also encourage other actors and film crews to take similar steps in support of the organizations.
About Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer is a movie written and directed by Christopher Nolan. It’s based on the Pulitzer-winning book ‘American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer’ by the late Martin J. Sherwin and Kai Bird. The movie is produced by Nolan, his wife Emma Thomas and Atlas Entertainment’s Charles Roven.
J. Robert Oppenheimer was a theoretical physicist who is now considered the Father of the Atomic Bomb. He was responsible for the research and development of the first nuclear bombs, later called the Manhattan Project.
The biographical movie by Nolan sees Peaky Blinders’ star Cillian Murphy essaying the lead role of J. Robert Oppenheimer. The movie released in theaters on July 21, 2023.
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