Ryan Reynolds publicly and instantly ridiculed SAG-AFTRA for their stringent Halloween costume regulations, which they recently revealed.
The union representing actors employed in the United States, SAG-AFTRA, has been on strike for almost a century.
The WGA strike, which lasted from May to September, prompted the start of the strike. Actors and writers were requesting improved pay and working conditions from studios. The SAG-AFTRA strike is still in effect, even though the writer’s strike ended a month ago.
Actors are subject to several regulations on what they can and cannot do due to the strike, including what they can and cannot wear on Halloween. And during this eerie season, Ryan Reynolds was among a select group of actors who publicly ridiculed SAG-AFTRA’s strike regulations.
Reynolds’ joke defies SAG-AFTRA’s Halloween regulations.
The Hollywood Reporter claims that SAG-AFTRA released guidelines about acceptable Halloween costume choices for its performers.
The union instructed its members not to “post photos of costumes inspired by struck content to social media” and instead to “choose costumes inspired by generalized characters and figures—ghost, zombie, spider, etc.” stated the message.
This would prohibit performers from dressing as characters from Wednesday on Netflix and Barbie, portrayed by Greta Gerwig, two of the most popular costumes of 2023.
In typical hilarious man form, Reynolds joked about his disapproval of these regulations on Twitter. He commented, “I’m excited to yell “scab” at my eight-year-old all night long. She may not be in the union, but she still has to learn.”
SAG-AFTRA has released guidelines for members looking to “celebrate Halloween this year while also staying in solidarity” with the strike.
— Variety (@Variety) October 19, 2023
The union encourages members to “dress up as characters from non-struck content, like an animated TV show.” https://t.co/CHIVutHpVk pic.twitter.com/D7ISPI0fus
Reynolds wasn’t the only famous person to object to SAG-AFTRA’s ostensibly stringent rules about acceptable Halloween attire.
“Is this a joke?” Mandy Moore said as she reshared an item about the message on her Instagram account. Hurry up, @sagaftra. Is this the crucial thing? It is our request that you engage in sincere negotiations on our behalf. For months, a great number of people in our sector have made enormous sacrifices. Return to the table and hammer out a just agreement so that everyone may resume their jobs. Please accept my gratitude.
Mandy Moore calls out SAG-AFTRA for strict Halloween costume rules:
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) October 21, 2023
“Is this a joke? Come on @sagaftra. This is what's important? We're asking you to negotiate in good faith on our behalf. So many folks across every aspect of this industry have been sacrificing mightily for… pic.twitter.com/2LO0THjYm6
Early in October, SAG-AFTRA leadership met with a number of studio executives, but they were still unable to strike a settlement.
The union’s Halloween regulations may be stringent, but they make sense since they don’t want to highlight any media coverage of the walkout because it may undermine their entire purpose for being on strike.
