British chatshows are set to feature more homegrown stars in the wake of the US actors’ strike that has halted filming on Hollywood blockbusters and TV dramas.
Producers on some of TV’s biggest talk and daily magazine shows face a headache as actors follow in the footsteps of the cast of Oppenheimer, who walked out of its premiere when the strike began earlier this month.
Stars promoting films are a regular feature of the chatshow circuit, with series such as ITV’s This Morning and BBC One’s The Graham Norton Show, which airs in the autumn, renowned for attracting Hollywood A-listers – but the knock-on effect of the strike is being felt across British television.
One producer of a well-known show told the Observer: “We are lucky as we had already filmed a couple of movie stars. Fortunately we have enough domestic stars to use and will use more of them.” Another on a popular chatshow said they would use “more homegrown celebrities”.
The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (Sag-Aftra) began the industrial action, following a similar strike by writers, in a protest over pay and the use of AI to replicate voices.
Sag-Aftra’s UK counterpart, Equity, is not taking part but some British actors, such as Oppenheimer star Emily Blunt, are Sag-Aftra members. Some have Equity contracts, but are working on films that have been shut down due to US colleagues striking, such as an adaptation of the musical Wicked.
The issue has led to some confusion among British actors who are questioning whether they should publicise shows made for US-owned companies such as Netflix or Channel 5 owner Paramount.
Fraser Ayres, actor, writer and creator of ITV panel show Sorry, I Didn’t Know, said: “I think there are quite a few confused people out there who want to show solidarity and don’t want to jeopardise their future. I’m for the strikes. AI is a big thing.”
Showbiz agent Jonathan Shalit, chairman of InterTalent, said actors were being cautious because they did not want to be labelled “scabs”.
He said: “The wealthy can see through these strikes because they’ve got savings, but … in the short term it’s devastating for a lot of people and I suspect some will exit the industry. But people understand it’s short-term pain for long-term gain.
“It’s a scary time for everyone, including producers, with budgets going down and costs going up.”
Channel 4’s The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan has just finished filming, with stars including Jennifer Lawrence. Ben Wicks at production company Expectation said they “would not have got [them] if we were making that series this month, it would have a big effect”.
Wicks also oversees Channel 4’s daytime chatshow Steph’s Packed Lunch, which returns in September, and said the strike “will definitely affect it …we’ve [previously] had an impressive array of American talent on the show”.
He said, “obviously it’s a shame” but added “there are plenty of other people promoting things” and the Leeds-based series covers other subjects such as consumer issues, fashion and cookery.
In the US chatshows have been cancelled due to the strikes and Wicks said that an unintended consequence, if the action spread to the UK, could be an impact on diversity and working-class people being able to afford to work in TV.
Steph’s Packed Lunch is filmed in Leeds and has boosted the city’s economy, working with local colleges to ensure its team of more than 80 is made up of people from different backgrounds, which Wicks said brings a “diversity of stories that reflect the diversity of life”.
Ayres, who also runs diversity company D and I, agreed: “It’s about the wider picture and also talking about how actors and writers in the UK are usually paid less than in the US.”
Paul Fleming, Equity’s general secretary, predicted Sag-Aftra would win and said Equity had issued guidance to its members.
He told the Observer the union was “alive to the possibility that some projects will be recast” using British actors by studios looking to bypass the US strike. That, he warned, could prompt a UK strike as it “would be something we could look at taking action over”.
The BBC declined to comment on the effect of the strikes on The Graham Norton Show.
