Here’s another chess move from SAG-AFTRA.
There’s no end in sight with the strike — it could very well go on until next year — which means that awards campaigning will be severely affected by this situation,
If the major acting contenders cannot campaign this season then, oh my god, voters will have to actually rely on quality of performance instead of who’s giving the best post-screening Q&As in town. Sacrilege!
However, with that said, SAG-AFTRA just made a major move this evening, granting an interim exemption to the cast of “Past Lives” to freely campaign this awards season. The film is being distributed by A24 who had already signed a deal with SAG-AFTRA — they are unaffected by the strike.
Other A24 films that will likely be campaigned this season include “Priscilla,” “The Zone of Interest,” and “Dream Scenario.”
I’m now thinking that maybe, just maybe, indies could overperform during award season. I do not believe we’ll be getting any sort of “normal” campaigning for the other studios, as it’ll mostly be the directors who will have to carry the heavy load.
SAG and WGA are just not getting their demands met. The two parties are worlds apart in the negotiations. The actors and writers have the full power of social media behind them, while the studios, although unfazed, are being depicted as the villains of this whole thing.