Actors Picket In Midtown Day One Of Historic Screen Strike

MIDTOWN, NY — While Midtown is no tinseltown, the picket line outside of 30 Rock Friday was filled with the stars.

"Ted Lasso" star Jason Sudeikis and members of the Screen Actors Guild joined a strike the Writers Guild of America launched in May to protest what they describe as poor pay doled out by executives living large.

“It’s nasty when studio owners make $50 million and then they say we're the problem," said Marissa Pepple, whose recent credits include the 2022 series "Fleishman Is in Trouble."

The Jersey City actress, who has been a SAG-AFTRA member for 18 years, said she's concerned about the future of the industry.

“I’m very pro-Union, I’m tired of the greed.”

It's Scary, Too

Mike Brouwer, who recently appeared next to Molly Shannon in "The Other Two," told Patch he had mixed emotions about the strike.

"It’s pretty amazing to see the support — the honks from cars, the high-fives from people walking by,” said Brouwer, a SAG-AFTRA member since 2009.

“But it’s scary too. We’re out of work.”

This Is About All Of Us

Darra Boyd — a union member since 2011 who has appeared in "Poker Face", "Orange Is The New Black" and "The Last O.G." — had one word to describe her feelings on the picket line.

“I’m happy that we’re on strike, I’m happy to see all these people came, I’m happy that my friends are here," Boyd said.

The actor was also happy to see celebrity support, but she wants New Yorkers to know the movement is about more than famous faces.

“It’s good to see that Ted Lasso is here, but I want to make people know that not everybody is Ted Lasso," Boyd said. "This is about all of us. We’re all doing something we really love.”

Like many of the actors and writers, Boyd fears major studios will cut work and wages without contract limits on artificial intelligence tools.

“AI is the biggest issue for me,” Boyd said.

Unity And Union

Bronx actor Jadon Woodward, whom you might recognize from the 2019 movie "Late Night" with Mindy Kaling and Emma Thompson, noted the significance of actors and writers striking together — a first since 1960.

"To see the writers and the actors together, it shows you that it’s a really important moment." Woodward said. “Unity, and union. We’re all willing to take a pay cut for the long run.”

Everyone’s Gotta Come Together

Picketers were also joined by supportive union members such as Greg Packer, a retired highway maintenance worker, who said he came as a fan fed up with big business.

“We pay for the shows, we pay the streaming subscriptions, and all that money is just going to greedy studio owners,” Packer said.

“Everyone’s gotta come together at some point, and send a very loud and clear message to the greedy owners everywhere.”