Oppenheimer cast walk out of UK premiere in ‘solidarity’ with actors’ strike

The Oppenheimer cast left the UK premiere in ‘solidarity’ with the actors’ strike on Wednesday night.

The likes of Cillian Murphy, Florence Pugh, Matt Damon, Emily Blunt and Rami Malek walked the red carpet at the Odeon in Leicester Square earlier in the evening.

But the group left the event early to “write their picket signs” in preparation for the actor’s union’s “imminent” strike.

The last-minute change came after the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists announced it had voted in favor of action, after a deadline to strike a deal had passed.

Director Christopher Nolan told moviegoers, “You’ve seen them on the red carpet here before.

“Unfortunately, they are going to write their pickets for what we believe is an impending strike from Sag, joining one of my guilds, the Writers Guild, in the fight for fair wages for working union members, and we support them.’

In a red carpet interview with Variety on the night, Damon revealed that “once the strike is officially declared”, the cast “will clearly stand in solidarity”.

That’s why we moved this [red carpet] because we know that as soon as it gets called, we go home,” he said.

Emily previously spoke to Deadline on the red carpet, adding, “I hope everyone is making a fair deal and we’re here to celebrate this movie.”

And when they call [a strike], we leave together as cast in unity with everyone. … We will have to. We will have to. We’ll see what happens. Right now it’s the joy of being together.’

Sag-aftra is expected to decide in favor of a picket line after the negotiating committee voted unanimously to recommend that the 160,000 members strike on June 12.

The decision has the potential to spark a simultaneous strike by actors and writers for the first time in 60 years.

Undeterred by the earlier start time, the cast was dressed to the nines on the red carpet, while Florence brought the drama in a plunging burnt orange gown.

The actress made sure all eyes were on her in the plunging number that flashed a side bust and featured a bold cut-out section across her midriff.

Emily, meanwhile, sparkled in a sequined black dress with a fringed skirt and a cut-out midriff.

The untimely clash comes as a bit of a blow to Christopher, who paid £81 million for the blockbuster production, which will hit UK cinemas on July 21.

Peaky Blinders star Cillian plays Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer, the “father of the atomic bomb” and, following its Paris premiere earlier this week, critics have tipped him to win big.

Emily plays Kitty, the wife of physicist Oppenheimer, while Florence plays Jean Tatlock, a psychiatrist, Communist Party member, and close friend of J. Robert Oppenheimer.

Florence made sure all eyes were on her as she posed with the cast. She added a dramatic and glamorous touch with the puffy skirt and accessorized with silver hoop earrings.

Meanwhile, Emily has styled her blonde locks in soft waves and boosted her height with black heels.

The actress co-starred with Cillian in A Quiet Place Part 2 and the duo embraced on the black carpet.

The film is an adaptation of the 2006 book American Prometheus: The Triumph And Tragedy Of J. Robert Oppenheimer, by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin.

The book, which won the Pulitzer Prize, chronicles Oppenheimer’s personal life and his time as leader of the Manhattan Project in the early and mid-1940s.

The film has already been hailed as a contender for multiple awards.

Journalists have taken to Twitter to share their glowing reviews of the film, with one critic describing how the film “slit my brain open” and “left me sobbing through the credits.”

Robbie Collin from The Telegraph wrote: ‘Am torn between being coy and mysterious about Oppenheimer and just coming out and saying it’s a total knockout’

Elsa Keslassy of Variety added: ‘A sign that French audiences loved #Oppenheimer is that they stayed in front of the Grand Rex theater long after the movie ended to debate it!’

A slew of Hollywood stars, including Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, and Mark Ruffalo, are ready to strike with writers for the first time in 60 years.

Thousands of Writers Guild of America members have taken down tools after talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers over pay fell through.

At the center of the line is the rise of streaming — with the guild claiming that even as budgets have increased, writers’ share of that money has consistently shrunk.

Oppenheimer star Matt, who attended a photo event on Wednesday, said while everyone hoped a strike could be averted, he said many actors need fair contracts to survive.

‘We should protect the people who are on the margins’ Damon told the AP.

“And $26,000 a year is what you need to earn to get your health insurance. And there are many people whose residual payments take them over that threshold.

‘And when those residual payments dry up, their care also stops. And that is absolutely unacceptable. We can’t have that. So we have to come up with something that’s fair.’

It is the first time since 1960 that actors and writers have taken film and television productions.

Members of the Writers Guild of America have been on strike since early May slowing production of film and television series on both coasts and in production centers such as Atlanta.

A SAG spokesperson said: “After more than four weeks of negotiations, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) – the entity representing major studios and streamers including Amazon, Apple, Disney, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Paramount, Sony and Warner Bros. Discovery – remains unwilling to offer a fair deal on key issues essential to Sag-Aftra members.

“The companies have refused to engage meaningfully on some topics and on others we have held back completely.

“Until they negotiate in good faith, we can’t make a deal.

“We have no choice but to move forward in unity, and on behalf of our members, with a strike recommendation to our national board.

“The board will discuss the matter this morning and make a decision.”