Tom Cruise is playing both sides in Hollywood strike, trying to please everyone

Tom Cruise's involvement in the negotiations between the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) during the SAG-WGA strikes has been noticeably icky for his attempt to navigate both sides of the issue, rather than fully siding with the guilds.

What

As a prominent member of SAG-AFTRA, Cruise used his influence to Zoom into a June negotiating session and advocate for the AMPTP to address the guild's concerns on various matters. The very thought of him on a Zoom call, flashing that million-dollar smile, trying to convince the AMPTP to listen to the guild's concerns is oozing with cinematic potential in itself.

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Hollywood’s daring diplomat (and saviour of cinema) has decided to walk the wire with this one, juggling both sides of the fence like a true action star. The man knows how to charm his way through negotiations, in stark contrast to his beer-bellied persona from Tropic Thunder.

The issues Cruise wants addressed

One of the significant issues he brought up was how AI was threatening livelihoods in the industry, as well as urged the AMPTP to support the guild's position on stunt performers, recognising the need to protect their rights and working conditions. He probably wanted to make sure those high-octane stunts in Mission: Impossible movies were done safely (not that that has been any concern for him). 

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Cruise also expressed his concern about the fragile state of movie theatres post-pandemic and requested that actors be allowed to promote their films during the strike. He believed that promotion was vital for the survival of movie theatres, an industry he evidently cherishes quite passionately. He sees himself as the saviour of cinema, and who can blame him?

Cruise is like a one-man box office crusader, fighting to keep theatres alive with his blockbuster flicks.

However, Cruise's request to allow actors to promote their films during the strike was met with resistance from both SAG-AFTRA's rules and some of his peers. The strike's conditions explicitly prohibited actors from participating in any promotional activities related to TV or theatrical contracts, as doing so would undermine the strike's purpose. 

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The Oppenheimer cast, for example, demonstrated their solidarity with the strike by walking out of the film's European premiere.

Asking actors to promote their films during a strike? This mission may be a bit too impossible, unless he wishes to violate guild regulations.

A strange proposal and a pushback

Despite Cruise's sincere efforts to advocate for both the interests of actors and the wellbeing of movie theatres, his proposal was seen as misguided or out of touch by some.

While he has been a strong supporter of the film industry and played a pivotal role in ensuring the continuity of major productions during the pandemic, his request during the strike negotiations did not align with the stance taken by the guilds.

SAG-AFTRA asked Cruise to join the picket lines, noting that having his visible support would send a strong message to the studios. Cruise was noncommittal, but offered to assist in other ways.

After weeks of negotiations, the strike continued as no agreement was reached between SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP by the expiration of the contracts package. Cruise's participation in the negotiations was important, as he was one of the few high-profile stars to be actively involved, but ultimately, his wish for actors to promote their films during the strike did not come to fruition.

Challenge ahead

In the end, Cruise's valiant efforts to mediate between the guilds and studios might not have saved the day, but hey, at least he tried. He may be a Hollywood maverick, but even he can't defy the laws of labour negotiations. 

Cruise's approach demonstrated his genuine concern for the issues at hand, but it also reflected the challenges of trying to find a middle ground between the interests of the actors and the demands of the guilds during a high-stakes strike in the entertainment industry.

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