Actors' strike: Hollywood actors begin historic strike

Hollywood actors are taking strike action for better pay and working conditions

Thousands of actors have stopped working in the biggest strike in Hollywood in more than 60 years.

The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) wants streaming giants such as Netflix and Disney Plus to pay them better for the work they do, to provide better working conditions, and to guarantee that Artificial Intelligence won't replace human actors in future.

Actors began striking at midnight in Los Angeles in the US, which was 08:00 BST in the UK.

The SAG members are joining their colleagues in the Writers Guild of America, who have been on strike since 2 May over better pay and working conditions.

It's the first time both unions have been on strike at the same time since 1960 and many films and TV shows could now be delayed.

The Writers Guild of America has been on strike since May

Which films and TV shows could be affected?

Big films in production include Ghostbusters 4, Mufasa: The Lion King and Avatar 3 and 4, all of which could be impacted.

Avatar 3 and 4 are currently in production and are likely to be affected by the strike

Strike action also means actors won't promote finished films, for example by attending premieres - that could affect Disney's Haunted Mansion ( due out on 28 July) and the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film ( due out on 2 August).

As for TV, shows like The Simpsons could be impacted, but to minimise gaps in TV schedules, US TV channels have increased the amount of unscripted shows, such as The Masked Singer.

What do studios have to say about it?

The group representing the studios, called the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), aren't happy.

It said "a strike is certainly not the outcome we hoped for as studios cannot operate without the performers that bring our TV shows and films to life".

"The union has regrettably chosen a path that will lead to financial hardship for countless thousands of people who depend on the industry," its statement added.

Disney CEO Bob Iger said the strike was "very disturbing", and had come at the "worst time", while the industry was recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Why are actors upset?

It's to do with the amount of profit made by the streaming giants.

Profit is how much money is made after all the films' expenses have been paid. If a film cost £2million to make and it earned £5m in the cinema, it will have made £3m in profit.

The strikes could mean delays in film releases

More money is made by films and TV shows when they're repeated - this money is called residual.

The SAG argues that not only should actors' initial salary be higher, but they should also get a better split of the residual profit.

Another reason they are unhappy is fears about AI. You've probably seen convincing computer-generated videos of famous people, or heard deepfakes of people's voices.

Actors are concerned this technology will be used to replace human actors.

AI was used in Star Wars series The Mandalorian in 2021 to make Luke Skywalker young again

The AMPTP said it would protect the digital images of actors, and require their permission for them to be used or changed, in a "groundbreaking" proposal.

But the SAG's chief negotiator, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, said that wasn't good enough, because extras would be scanned and only paid for one day's work, but then have their likeness used forever without any further payments.