Current:Home > reviewsAt "Haunted Mansion" premiere, Disney characters replace stars amid actors strike -CapitalEdge
At "Haunted Mansion" premiere, Disney characters replace stars amid actors strike
View
Date:2025-04-14 17:20:55
As the actors strike scuttles Hollywood productions, as well as events promoting performers' work, one movie premiere went forward as scheduled, albeit without its stars.
At Disney's "Haunted Mansion" premiere Saturday, the only recognizable faces on the red carpet were those of Disney characters, not the star-studded film's cast members.
Typically, red carpet events featuring celebrities arriving amid flashing bulbs and screaming fans are a trademark of — and the engine behind — Hollywood premieres. But as roughly 65,000 actors represented by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) are now on strike, they are prohibited not only from working on camera but from promoting their work through festivals, premieres or interviews.
SAG-AFTRA announced the work stoppage Friday after negotiations with studios failed. They join more than 11,000 TV and script writers represented by the Writers Guild of America who have been on strike since early May, marking the first time since 1960 that two major Hollywood unions have been on strike at the same time. The dual strikes pose an existential threat to the industry, particularly if the protracted negotiations drag on past the summer, experts have said.
A different kind of premiere
Consequently, the "Haunted House" premiere, the first Hollywood event to take place since SAG-AFTRA threw up picket lines last week, indeed looked different from typical red carpet events.
Lead actors Tiffany Haddish, Danny DeVito and Rosario Dawson, among other cast members, were notably absent from the event, held at the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland, on which the film is based.
In their place were Disney characters including Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, Maleficent and Cruella de Vil, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Other attendees included so-called influencers, who are not represented by the actors guild.
In lieu of the #HauntedMansion stars, who are not in attendance at the world premiere due to the actors strike, Disney has its classic villains walking the red carpet pic.twitter.com/aCc0G30SuK
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) July 16, 2023
"I felt like I had to be here"
The film's director, Justin Simien, was also in attendance. Simien said he supported actors who are striking in order to reach what they consider to be a fair deal with Hollywood studios, represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). But he's also proud of their work on the film which he wanted to promote.
"I feel very ambivalent about it, but at the same time, I'm just so proud of this cast and I'm so, so proud of Katie Dippold who wrote the script, and so much of why I did this was to honor her words and to honor their work," Simien told The Hollywood Reporter at the premiere. "If they can't be here to speak for it, I felt like I had to be here to speak for it. It's sad that they're not here. At the same time, I totally support the reason why they're not here, and I'm happy to be the one to ring the bell in their stead."
At issue in the negotiations between actors and studios are two primary sticking points: how the advent of streaming affects their pay, and the prospect of artificial intelligence replacing them.
Simien also told the Hollywood Reporter that he believes actors' AI-related concerns are "a very important thing to hammer home and to figure out."
No premiere for "Oppenheimer"
By contrast, highly anticipated summer titles without costumed characters to rely on as stand-ins, such as Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer," scrapped premieres altogether after the strike began. (Actors attending the film's U.K. premiere on Friday walked out as soon as SAG-AFTRA called a strike.)
Media Mogul Barry Diller, the former chairman and CEO of Fox, Inc., suggested on "Face the Nation" Sunday that Hollywood executives as well as the highest-paid actors should take 25% pay cuts "to try and narrow the difference between those who get highly paid and those that don't."
"Everybody's probably overpaid at the top end," Diller, chairman and senior executive of IAC and Expedia, said.
- In:
- Strike
veryGood! (571)
Related
- B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
- Why M. Night Shyamalan's killer thriller 'Trap' is really a dad movie
- US Homeland Security halts immigration permits from 4 countries amid concern about sponsorship fraud
- Caeleb Dressel isn't the same swimmer he was in Tokyo but has embraced a new perspective
- Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
- MrBeast’s giant reality competition faces safety complaints from initial contestants
- Boxer Imane Khelif's father expresses support amid Olympic controversy
- Man dies parachuting on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- J.Crew’s Epic Weekend Sale Features an Extra 60% off Clearance Styles with Tops Starting at $8
Ranking
- Jorge Ramos reveals his final day with 'Noticiero Univision': 'It's been quite a ride'
- MrBeast’s giant reality competition faces safety complaints from initial contestants
- Favre challenges a judge’s order that blocked his lead attorney in Mississippi welfare lawsuit
- What to watch: Workin' on our Night moves
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- Olympic track recap: Sha'Carri Richardson gets silver in women's 100M in shocking race
- Judge rejects replacing counsel for man charged with shooting 3 Palestinian college students
- Federal judge rules that Florida’s transgender health care ban discriminates against state employees
Recommendation
FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
A year after Maui wildfire, chronic housing shortage and pricey vacation rentals complicate recovery
Chase Budinger, Miles Evans win lucky loser volleyball match. Next up: Reigning Olympic champs
Lakers unveil 'girl dad' statue of Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna
Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
Kamala Harris is interviewing six potential vice president picks this weekend, AP sources say
Sept. 11 families group leader cheers restoration of death penalty option in 9-11 prosecutions
TikTok’s Most Viral Products Are on Sale at Amazon Right Now Starting at $4.99