“Justified” star Timothy Olyphant was among the thousands of actors stacking the picket line on the first official day of the SAG-AFTRA strike Friday.
“I’m striking because it’s the right thing to do,” Timothy Olyphant told TheWrap on the picket line outside of Fox Studios in Los Angeles. “I’m on the right side of things here, and that’s not usually how it works in my life so this time it feels pretty good.”
The sticking points of the SAG-AFTRA strike, which was officially voted into effect Thursday after the guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) were unable to reach a deal by their contract expiry date on Tuesday night, include wages, concerns of AI and streaming residuals.
“I think they’re all important,” Olyphant said. “It’s a big, giant union with a lot of members and all these things are important for various people in the union.”
While SAG enters its first official day of the strike on Friday, the WGA is on Day 75. Despite chatter of strikes across the guilds as the WGA, DGA and SAG-AFTRA began negotiations with the AMPTP months ago, Olyphant said he did not anticipate a strike would happen when the WGA announced its strike authorization.
“I don’t think anybody saw this coming,” Olyphant said, adding, “It’s a sad day.”
Olyphant, who will star in several upcoming TV series including “Justified” and Steven Soderbergh’s “Full Circle,” also joins the tens of thousands of actors who are now forbidden from all principal on-camera work for film and television productions produced by Hollywood studios. The SAG-AFTRA policies also prohibit members from participating in off-camera work, including voiceovers and narration, background and stand-in work.
SAG members are also prohibited from participating in promotional activities including tours, personal appearances, interviews, conventions, fan expos, festivals, for your consideration events, panels, premieres and screenings, award shows, junkets, podcast appearances, social media and studio showcases.
