The most anticipated star at Saturday’s 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards wasn’t Margot Robbie or Cillian Murphy or even Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Barbara Streisand – it was the historic 2023 actors’ strike.
SAG-AFTRA members, from A-List to rank-and-file, marched the picket lines from July to November and ratified the deal on Dec. 5.
On a night that honored outstanding performances by SAG-AFTRA members, how did the months-long strike find its moment in the spotlight?
Before the broadcast, which was live-streamed on Netflix, National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland addressed the topic in a speech to members.
“The sacrifices made by our members were enormous and they were matched by our colleagues throughout the industry,” he said. “The hardship has been very real and for many it hasn't yet fully let up it took commitment and courage from everyone who supported SAG-AFTRA from inside and out to deliver us through those very challenging times.”
He also gave a shout-out to the strike captains.
“I must acknowledge our strike captains who organized rallied and kept our focus where it needed to be our negotiating committee who never wavered couldn't be intimidated and wouldn't settle for anything less than a truly fair deal.”
It started at the beginning of the stream, actor Idris Elba made mention of the elephant in the room at the start of the show.
"I want to take this moment to honor and appreciate all of you both here and watching at home who stood up for SAG-AFTRA in solidarity and support. So, thank you very much,” he said.
That wouldn’t be the last time the strike would have its time to shine. In her address, Union president Fran Drescher called the union’s members “the champions.”
“You survived the longest strike in our union’s history with courage and conviction. The journey was arduous,” she said. “It came with great sacrifice and unrelenting stress, your collective dignity and perseverance to stand up and say, ‘We deserve better because we are better’ resulted in a historic billion-dollar deal. Your solidarity ignited workers around the world, triggering what forever will be remembered as the hot labor summer.”
The strike also made an appearance at the end of the ceremony when “Oppenheimer” star Kenneth Branagh delivered a speech on behalf of the cast when they won Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. Branagh recalled the stars walking on out of the film’s July 14 premiere as the strike was about to kick off.
“When we were all last together, it was at the premiere of this film on July 14, last year when the strike was just about to begin, and led by our fearless leader, the great Cillian Murphy, we went from the red carpet and we didn't see the film that night,” he said. “We happily went in the direction of solidarity with your good selves."
While the night celebrated the best performances of the year, the strike shared plenty of glory.
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