Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lawrence are among 300 actors set to go on strike

28 June 2023 , 18:45

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Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lawrence are among 300 actors that are threatening to strike

Over 300 actors, including Jennifer Lawrence and Meryl Streep, are vowing to go on strike.

The stars have signed a letter urging The Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) to make sure all of their demands are met by the union.

Earlier this month, the Screen Access Guild voted to allow a strike if the guild cannot reach an agreement by 30 June.

President of SAG-AFTRA, Fran Drescher, who rose to fame with her show "The Nanny," and chief negotiator of SAG-AFTRA Duncan Crabtree-Ireland explained the move in a video message posted to YouTube.

"Frankly it's very confidential what's going on in there," Drescher said in the video.

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"I just want to assure you that we are having an extremely productive negotiations that are laser-focused on all of the crucial issues you told us are most important to you."

Actress Meryl Streep is among the stars vowing to go on strike (ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)

Jennifer Lawrence may also down tools if demands are not met (Photo by Ben Kriemann/Getty Images)

Crabtree-Ireland added: "We remain optimistic that we will be able to bring the studios, networks, and streamers along to make a fair deal that respects your contribution to the industry."

But it seems that the video message did nothing to ease the actors' frustrations.

According to Rolling Stone, the new letter urges: "We feel that our wages, our craft, our creative freedom, and the power of our union have all been undermined in the last decade. We need to reverse those trajectories.”

Lawrence recently attended the premiere of her new movie "No Hard Feelings" on 20 June in New York and Streep's last acting role was in the Netflix movie "Don't Look Up" in 2021.

Brendan Fraser is also threatening to strike (Rob Latour/REX/Shutterstock for SAG Awards)

Allegedly, SAG-AFTRA members that signed the letter are prepared to strike if necessary.

Currently, in Hollywood, the Writers Guild has been on strike for two months due to unresolved contracts. This led to late-night talk shows ceasing production and scripted television shows not filming or writing their next series.

Other actors who signed the letter include Rami Malek, Quinta Brunson, Liam Neeson, and Brendan Fraser. Fraser made headlines earlier this year at the SAG awards, hosted by SAG-AFTRA. He won Outstanding Performance by a male leading actor for his role in "The Whale" and called his SAG membership card one of his many treasured possessions.

Tatiana Krisztina