Dress up as a barbie or a one piece for Halloween? For the striking actors’ union, this is out of the question

SAG-AFTRA, the still-striking actors’ union, has issued strict guidelines for the upcoming Halloween holiday, banning its members from dressing up as popular characters from movies or series produced by major Hollywood studios they are fighting against. So this includes Barbie, Marvel movies, One Piece and Wednesdays. This ban also applies to sharing photos of costumes on social media.

However, the union recommended that its members choose costumes inspired by generalized characters such as “ghost, zombie or spider” or “inhuman characters” from content not targeted by the strike. For example, animated TV shows. . Their goal is to use the collective power of Hollywood stars to send a strong message to their employers that they will not distribute their content without a fair contract.

“Infantile” directive according to this actor

Faced with the ban, former SAG-AFTRA president Melissa Gilbert (Little House on the Prairie) took to her Instagram account to call the guidelines “stupid nonsense” and “infantile.”

do you offer me this Literally no one cares what someone wears for Halloween. Do you really think such childish things will end the strike? We are like a joke. Please tell me that you will cancel this rule…and go negotiate!

Melissa Gilbert then directly targeted the Instagram accounts of current union president Fran Drescher (Nanny) and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, writing:For goodness sake people hurt you so much and here’s what you have to say…come on guys…this is stupid crap that makes us go on strike. “Let’s adopt a policy that seems petty and incompetent to us.”

Melissa Gilbert She led the Screen Actors Guild from 2001 to 2005 and was the third woman to be elected president.

Ryan Reynolds, True to Self

Although a union representative told Variety that the directive was simply a response to questions from some members about how to help with the strike during Halloween and that it wasn’t directed at their children, Ryan Reynolds, a loyalist — couldn’t help but help himself. They make fun of this ban.

In a sarcastic response posted on X (formerly Twitter), the Deadpool star quipped:I can’t stand yelling “foam” at my 8 year old daughter all night long. He is not united, but he must learn.“Scab” is a very derogatory English term often used to refer to people who continue to work during a trade union strike.

Clooney, Affleck and Johansson to the rescue?

The guidelines come amid a nationwide strike – approaching 100 days – led by stakeholders, with demands that include raising the minimum wage in line with inflation, better sharing of residual income and AI regulations.

Recently, George Clooney, Ben Affleck and Scarlett Johansson, among others, joined forces to propose a solution to this conflict to their union, which rejected their proposal. This offer included increasing (capped) union dues for the wealthiest actors to make up for what the studios refuse to pay the lowest-wage workers, as well as preferentially paying residual income to the low-wage workers.

Although negotiations are currently at a standstill, the Writers Guild (WGA) reached an agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) last month, ending the writers’ strike after 146 days.