Oppenheimer cast walk out of London premiere to prepare for SAG strike
Christopher Nolan was left to explain to guests at the Oppenheimer premiere in London that the cast - including Matt Damon and Emily Blunt - had left to 'write their pickets' for the impending SAG strike.
Oppenheimer: Official trailer (2023)
Matt Damon, Emily Blunt and the cast of Oppenheimer walked out of their own premiere in London, England, ahead of the impending Screen Actors Guild strike.
The all-star cast - which also includes Florence Pugh, Rami Malek, Robert Downey Jr., Cillian Murphy and Josh Hartnett among others - arrived in London’s Leicester Square in full glam for the glitzy event.
However, after walking the red carpet and in preparation of the strike, almost the entire cast then left immediately, with Christopher Nolan appearing on stage to introduce the film and explain their absence.
Speaking to the audience, Nolan said: “I have to acknowledge the work of our incredible cast, led by Cillian Murphy. The list is enormous.”
“We have to acknowledge, we’ve seen them here on the red carpet,” he continued. “Unfortunately, they’re off to write their picket signs for what we believe to be an imminent strike by SAG, joining my guild - one of my guilds, the writers guild - in the struggle for fair wages for working members of their unions, and we support them.
The announcement was met with applause by the movie theater, and came less than an hour before the final decision was made.
The SAG is a union representing 160,000 Hollywood actors, and have been in heavy negotiations regarding fair payment for their work.
Following the negotiation passing its deadline of midnight on July 12, actors of the guild will hit the picket lines and go on strike until further notice.
SAG-AFTRA members striking, alongside the Writers Guild of America (WAG) strike means that Hollywood is effectively on a complete shutdown.
Don't miss...
Hollywood actors to go on strike after deadline passes in historic move [STRIKE]
Al Pacino hailed 'great' in Christopher Nolan tribute as director shares memory [LATEST]
Tom Cruise ‘unhappy’ with studio bosses over awkward Mission Impossible clash [SOURCES]
The strike follows more than four weeks of bargaining with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents major studios and streaming platforms including Amazon Prime Video and Warner Bros.
The statement claimed: “The companies have refused to meaningfully engage on some topics and on others completely stonewalled us.
“Until they do negotiate in good faith, we cannot begin to reach a deal. We have no choice but to move forward in unity, and on behalf of our membership, with a strike recommendation to our national board.”
