Former Screen Actors Guild (SAG) president Melissa Gilbert recently took to Instagram to express her criticism of the Halloween costume guidelines released by the SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists). The guidelines advised members not to dress up as characters from struck companies this Halloween and instead suggested choosing costumes inspired by generalized characters or figures, or characters from non-struck content.
In her Instagram post, Gilbert vented her frustration at the guidelines, labeling them as “infantile” and claiming they were ineffective in ending the strike. The actress also tagged current SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland in her post, indicating her disappointment with their leadership.
Gilbert went on to argue that the guidelines made the union appear “petty and incompetent,” implying that they were diverting attention from the real issues at hand. She believes that instead of focusing on Halloween costumes, SAG-AFTRA should be prioritizing negotiations to secure a fair deal for its members and bringing the industry back to work.
Responding to the backlash, SAG-AFTRA released a statement clarifying the intent behind the Halloween costume guidelines. The guild explained that these guidelines were meant to assist content creators and members in avoiding the promotion of struck work. Their main goal, they emphasized, is to ensure a fair deal for their members and to get the industry back up and running.
The dispute over Halloween costumes comes amidst an ongoing strike by SAG-AFTRA against struck media companies. The strike, which began several weeks ago, has brought many film and television productions to a halt and left numerous industry professionals out of work.
As negotiations continue between the union and the companies involved, tensions among members and former union leaders like Melissa Gilbert continue to rise. With Halloween just around the corner, it remains to be seen how many SAG-AFTRA members will adhere to the guild’s guidelines or defy them in favor of expressing their frustration with the ongoing strike.
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