Strike by Hollywood actors expected to affect thousands employed in Toronto film, TV industry

A strike by Hollywood actors is expected to affect tens of thousands of Toronto residents who work in the Canadian film and television industry, casting directors say.

Union leaders of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Radio and Television Artists (SAG-AFTRA) voted to go on strike on Thursday, hours after their contract expired and talks broke off with the the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). The strike is set to begin at midnight PT.

At issue in the dispute is base and residual pay, which actors say has been undercut by inflation and the streaming ecosystem, benefits, and the threat of unregulated use of artificial intelligence.

More than half of Canadian-set film and TV shoots are U.S.-based productions, which collectively employ tens of thousands of local talent and crew across the country. Toronto, in particular, is considered a major hub.

Jason Knight and John Buchan, Toronto casting directors at Buchan Knight Casting, said on Thursday that it's too early to know how exactly the strike will affect the local film and television production industry but it's expected that things will get worse.

They said the city's film and television production industry already took a big hit when Hollywood writers went on strike in May. Now that Hollywood actors have voted to go on strike, they said work is expected to dry up further.

"Just with the writers' strike, we're down 70 per cent," Buchan said. "We're leaning into our lines of credit."

Timing couldn't be worse, some say

The 11,500 members of the Writers Guild of America have been on strike since their own talks collapsed and their contract expired on May 2.

Knight said Toronto relies heavily on U.S. productions that come to Canada to use Toronto to play New York City or Chicago and a lot of those shows have been put on hold because of the writers' strike.

"Summer is our busiest production time for obvious reasons. There's been a real dearth of shows coming and work opportunities which, of course, affects everyone down the line," he said. "There are so many different departments that go into a production."

Buchan said 70 per cent of their work comes from the U.S. but it's likely the strike will shut down many Canadian productions as well because there are shows that are written by Canadian screenwriters but employ Hollywood actors. 

"It cuts an even bigger swath into our work," he said.

Both said the timing couldn't be worse.

"You're talking about hair, make up, wardrobe. You're talking about lighting crews, you know grips... accountants. You're turning off a major tap," Knight said.

'It's already been very bleak,' actor says

Jane Luk, a Toronto-based actor who is a member of the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA), said a lot of actors are out of work already. She said the strike will affect thousands of people across many sectors.

"It's already been very bleak," she said on Thursday.

"Without the writers, you have no scripts. Without the actors, you can't bring the script to life. Without the crew or the director who brings it all together, you are not going to have any productions, any kind of creativity. All of these people are employed to create one singular production at a time," she added.

"We're all just trying to make ends meet. A lot of us have been doing this for a long time, but because we're so passionate about this work, we're going to do everything we can to stay afloat until this thing rides out, however long it takes."

SAG-AFTRA represents more than 160,000 screen actors, broadcast journalists, announcers, hosts and stunt performers. The walkout affects only the union's 65,000 actors from television and film productions, who voted overwhelmingly to authorize their leaders to call a strike before talks began on June 7.

TIFF says strike to impact festival

Observers interviewed by The Canadian Press said the strike has the potential to throw more people out of work, upend TV schedules and dim the wattage of celeb-studded events like the Toronto International Film Festival, set for Sept. 7 to 17, and Fan Expo Canada, set for Aug. 24 to 27.

TIFF said in an emailed statement that a SAG strike would almost certainly impact its typically star-packed festival, known for fan-friendly red carpets and premieres, as well as A-list studded press conferences and junkets that draw journalists from around the world.

"The impact of this strike on the industry and events like ours cannot be denied," TIFF said moments after SAG announced job action.

"We urge our partners and colleagues to resume an open dialogue. We will continue planning for this year's festival with the hope of a swift resolution in the coming weeks."

Asked last week about the potential impact of a SAG strike on Fan Expo Canada, a vice president with Fan Expo HQ dismissed the possibility of no-shows at the genre-focused pop culture event.

"There will be no impact to the experience we have planned," Andrew Moyes said in an emailed statement Saturday.

"We hope all parties affected by this are able to reach an amicable agreement soon."