Hilary Duff, Bob Odenkirk, Rosario Dawson and Kevin Bacon are among the Hollywood stars who have joined fellow actors on the picket lines in the US amid the largest industry strike for 60 years.
Strike action took place outside major studios, including Warner Bros, Disney, Paramount and Netflix in Los Angeles on Monday, although two pickets were cut short due to "extreme heat".
Action began on Friday morning after contract negotiations between the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) broke down.
Lizzie McGuire star Duff was pictured picketing in Los Angeles on Monday, later posting a selection of pictures from outside Paramount Pictures' studios.
"Out there... with my girls. We stand with our union! Let's gooooooo," she captioned the post.
Award-winning Better Call Saul actor Odenkirk shared a photo of himself outside Warner Bros' studios in Los Angeles, with Sin City actress Dawson also making an appearance at Paramount.
Odenkirk said: "I've been a member of SAG-AFTRA since 1988, and we have to do this now, and we have to do this right so that we don't have to do this for another 20 years.
"Let's do it right, hang in there."
City on a Hill and Footloose star Bacon was pictured in New York, where actors also picketed the offices of HBO, Amazon, Warner Bros, Netflix, Paramount and NBC Universal on Monday.
"Walking the line in solidarity with my fellow SAG-AFTRA members," he wrote on Twitter, sharing a video of himself chanting with other union members.
Approximately 160,000 actors are now on strike across the US, joining the 11,500 members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA), who walked out on 2 May.
It is the first time both unions have been on strike since 1960, when SAG-AFTRA was led by future US president Ronald Reagan.
During the strike, actors will not film new projects or promote their films at junkets, premieres, awards shows or conventions, including the 2023 San Diego Comic Con, which is due to begin on Thursday.
Producers of independent films could be granted waivers to continue shooting despite the strike, as long as they are operating outside the studio system.
The contract between the union and the AMPTP, which represents the major film studios, TV networks and streaming giants, expired after negotiators failed to reach an agreement over a number of issues including pay and the use of artificial intelligence (AI).
The union said actors face an "existential threat to their livelihoods" with the rise of generative AI technology and the threat of unregulated use.
Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, chief negotiator for SAG-AFTRA, said studios had asked for the ability to scan the faces of background artists for the payment of one day's work - with a view to being able to own and use their likeness for any future projects without consent or compensation.
The issue of pay has also been a key part of negotiations, as the advent of streaming has changed the way actors are compensated for their work.
In the past, they would make money from 'residuals', where they would be paid based on re-runs of their shows and films, but streaming has severely dented this, with actors and writers saying their residuals have plummeted.
The union says members are striking for a fairer division of profits, but the AMPTP says negotiators chose to forego "the highest percentage increase in minimums in 35 years" in favour of going on strike.
Source: Press Association
