Hundreds of actors demonstrated in front of Netflix headquarters and other studios in Los Angeles and New York this Friday, in the paralysis of Hollywood’s largest film and television production in decades.

The strikers marched with banners in front of the Netflix building on famed Sunset Boulevard, as well as the facilities of HBO, Amazon and Paramount, as motorists honked in support.

Members of the SAG-AFTRA actors’ union picket writers outside the Netflix New York office on the first day of the actors’ strike on July 14, 2023 in New York City. Photo: AFP

“We are in this for the long haul, but this is a historic moment,” Vera Cherny, 44, who has had roles in “The Americans” and “For All Mankind,” told AFP on strike.

“It’s time we close the contracts that will serve future generations of actors. Just like in 1960,” he noted.

The SAG-AFTRA represents both extras and movie stars, so it is expected that renowned actors will join the protests. Meryl Streep, Ben Stiller and Colin Farrell have publicly expressed their support for the strike.

“The big stars will be visible,” said entertainment industry attorney Jonathan Handel.

The actors joined screenwriters who had been on strike for weeks in a battle with US studios over wage demands that led to the industry’s worst strike since the 1960s.

The demonstration, called by the national committee of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA), began in Los Angeles at midnight on Thursday.

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How long could the double strike last?

The actors arrive at the pickets where the writers have been for over two months.

The lead of the actors Fran Drescher confirmed that the extension will depend on the studies.

But voices like that of Disney executive Bob Iger, who said the demands of actors and screenwriters “are not realistic,” suggest the conflict could drag on.

Fran Drescher, president of SAG-AFTRA, speaks to members of the media as she joins actors protesting outside the Netflix studios on July 14, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Photo: AFP

Jonathan Handel predicted it will last at least until the US fall.

“This will spread and it will not be resolved easily because it is an existential struggle for both sides. And there’s a lot of bitterness between the writers and the studios, and the actors and the studios.”

Deals will come eventually, Handel said. “But when? if? and who wins or loses? It’s not clear and it won’t be easy.”