Hollywood just keeps proving it'll never stop surprising us.
Since May, thousands of writers and actors stopped working after a pay dispute when negotiations broke down between production companies, streaming giants and the unions.
And while at least 11,500 writers have taken to the streets alongside actors – including some of our favourites – it seems the Screen Actors Guild couldn't rally up enough supporters to back their latest demand, which called for union members to only dress as "generalised characters and figures" (like a ghost, zombie, or prisoner) and not anything from specific films or TV shows (like, say, Barbie, Marvel or Star Wars).
Basically, SAG-AFTRA asked its members to avoid dressing up as any characters featured in striking films or shows for Halloween, so they wouldn't be seen to be supporting big streaming giants or production companies.
Seems fairly simple, right?
Wrong. So very wrong.
The infographic posted to the union's Instagram page has since been deleted, but it was originally shared as "Halloween guidance" amid the actors' strike.
The demand was ridiculed by actors including Mandy Moore and Ryan Reynolds, who felt it was not what SAG-AFTRA should be focussing on.
"Is this a joke?" Moore wrote on her Instagram story. "Come on @sagaftra. This is what's important? We're asking you to negotiate in good faith on our behalf. So many folks across every aspect of this industry have been sacrificing mightily for months.
"Get back to the table and get a fair deal so everyone can get back to work. Please and thank you."
Reynolds poked fun at the situation on X (formerly Twitter), taking a jab at the union for their guidelines and how they might apply to the children of the actors on strike.
"I look forward to screaming 'scab' at my eight-year-old all night. She’s not in the union but she needs to learn," the Deadpool actor shared.
Former SAG-AFTRA president Melissa Gilbert wasn't a fan of the union's move either and shared her thoughts on Instagram.
"THIS is what you guys come up with? Literally, no one cares what anyone wears for Halloween. I mean, do you really think this kind of infantile stuff is going to end the strike? We look like a joke."
However, despite immense criticism from stars in Hollywood, Orange Is The New Black actor Ruby Rose jumped to the defence of the union and called on her fellow members to "pull it together".
"I have second-hand embarrassment from the actors who have spoken out against @SAGAFTRA over Halloween costumes... pull it together and get to the picket line," she wrote on Instagram.
"The future of the entertainment industry is on the line. For most members, the email from SAG was unnecessary, it was a given."
The Australian actor, who has lived in Hollywood for more than a decade, continued, claiming the union's infographic was "intentionally misrepresented" by the media all in a bid to undermine SAG-AFTRA.
"We actors are on strike, this means we are not promoting the companies (billion-dollar conglomerate studios) in which we are engaged in a strike with. It's very simple."
Speaking to Reynolds’ concerns, SAG-AFTRA told The Hollywood Reporter that the rules do not apply to the kids of striking actors.
"SAG-AFTRA issued Halloween guidance in response to questions from content creators and members about how to support the strike during this festive season," the union said.
"This was meant to help them avoid promoting struck work, and it is the latest in a series of guidelines we have issued.
"We are on strike for important reasons, and have been for nearly 100 days," the statement continued.
"Our number one priority remains getting the studios back to the negotiating table so we can get a fair deal for our members, and finally put our industry back to work."
SAG-AFTRA's Halloween rules have come after negotiations between actors and writers and studios ceased earlier this month. Fran Drescher, the union's president, said the studios used "bullying tactics".
In an essay, The Nanny star criticised the studios for showing a "disregard for working people" and "greed".
"It can only end when the parties reach agreement, and to do that, the AMPTP [Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers] must return to bargaining," she said. "With the very existence of the acting profession at stake, to settle for anything less than a fair payment structure and guardrails for AI would be irrational.
"For the sake of everyone who makes a living in this business, we hope the strike is resolved soon, but make no mistake: We’re in this fight until the end."
Feature Image: Getty/X.
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