Hollywood’s biggest stars, including Demi Moore, Jon Hamm and Mark Ruffalo, sign a letter in support of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike – as criticism mounts and ‘people lose their entire livelihoods’ amid industry shutdown

Some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, including Demi Moore, Mark Ruffalo and Jon Hamm, have signed an open letter in support of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strikes.

Cynthia Nixon, Jon Hamm and Jonathan Groff were also among the signatories of the letter, organized by SAG-AFTRA strike leaders.

The letter, addressed to the SAG-AFTRA negotiating committee, defiantly stated, “We did not come all this way to cave.”

“In June, before we went on strike, a large group of members signed an open letter telling our leaders that we would rather go on strike than make a bad deal,” the letter said.

‘Now, more than a hundred days after our strike, that is still the case. As difficult as this is, we would rather stay on strike than make a bad deal.

SAG-AFTRA members and supporters picket outside Paramount Studios on day 106 of their strike against the Hollywood studios on October 27, 2023 in Los Angeles

Celebrities on strike: Succession stars Alan Ruck and Justine Lupe pictured on the picket line in Los Angeles, California on July 18

“We didn’t come all this way to cave.”

Adding to that, we did not go without work and without pay and spend months walking around the picket lines giving up everything we have fought for.”

Studios like Disney announced further delays to next year’s release lineups in the wake of the ongoing industrial action.

Disney announced on Friday that the highly anticipated live-action Snow White film starring Rachel Zegler would be postponed by a year to March 21, 2025.

It comes at a time when financial hardships are starting to weigh more heavily on struggling creatives who have been out of work for months.

Under the strike’s rules, the union’s 16,000 members are not allowed to film films or TV series, participate in press or film premieres, or promote their projects.

As a result, thousands of people are out of work as major budget projects have been halted and glitzy red carpet events have been canceled or postponed.

Many crew members, from make-up artists to background actors, have been forced to take jobs outside the industry to survive and there are fears they will have no choice but to leave Hollywood for good.

Unemployed: Celebrity stylists have had their jobs canceled due to the ongoing SAG strike (stock image)

New work: Background actor Vincent Amaya has been forced to take a job in a restaurant to support himself – has also set up a GoFundMe page to help others in need

Getting glam: Matin Maulawizada, pictured doing Kristen Davis’ makeup, has lost a lot of work due to the strikes

Hard at work: Matin on the set of HBO series And Just Like That, which was filmed before the strikes

Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com over the summer, a stylist, who wishes to remain anonymous, said the SAG-AFRA strike has been “very damaging” for many and that workers primarily employed in the red carpet industry are at risk of losing their lives. lose a job. houses.

“My work for the rest of this year, on the red carpet with celebrity talent, which is my core business, has evaporated,” she said. “It’s all been canceled indefinitely.

“I was supposed to do a major network TV show next month with top celebrity talent, but that’s on hold. That’s an income I depend on for the rest of the year. So it is very problematic.’

Despite supporting the strike, she laid bare the brutal reality for her fellow celebrity stylists, warning: ‘This looks like Covid all over again. It’s really, really serious.

“There will be layoffs, there will be people who will lose their businesses, there will be people who will lose their homes, people who will lose their livelihoods. It’s going to get really bad.

‘Many people will have to leave the sector.’

Her dire prediction comes as a costume designer told DailyMail.com that they had been out of work since October last year, ahead of the strike action, as productions were delayed and canceled ahead of the possible strike.

A major concern for celebrity stylists is that, unlike costume designers, writers and actors, they are not protected by the union, and thus are alone when it comes to fighting for workers’ rights.

It’s not just stylists who are at risk of losing their livelihoods, background actors are also facing desperate times.

Full-time background actor Vincent Amaya revealed that he has been out of work since February, ahead of the expected strike action, and has been forced to take a job in a restaurant to pay his bills.

Speaking to DailyMail.com, he said: ‘February came and went and I was still looking for work. I was out of work for months, hoping that everything would go away on its own.

“In the beginning, in February and March, I struggled (to pay my bills) because the lack of work just came out of nowhere. As the months went by, I got a loan that I had to pay back within 90 days.”

Vincent explained that before the strikes, he contacted SAG-AFRA for financial assistance due to his sudden change in circumstances, and was provided $1,000 to help him with his bills.

But because no new acting projects ever materialized, he had to work in a restaurant, what he calls his “survival job.”

“I feel like getting a ‘survival job’ is like leaving the industry,” he said. ‘Even though I’m doing well now, I’m not happy. I’m not doing what I love. But I did pay my bills. I definitely want to leave it when the strike is over.”

Demi Moore’s new net worth, on the other hand, is estimated at around $200 million, making her $11 million in 1997 alone for her role as GI Jane.

Cynthia Nixon has raked in $1 million per episode of And Just Like That, Variety reported, and has an estimated net worth of more than $25 million.

Similarly, Avengers star Mark Ruffalo, another celebrity signee, has an estimated net worth of over $35 million.