Originally posted Thursday February 14, 2008 08:05 AM EST
Now that the writers' strike is over, Hollywood is girding for an actors' strike – though not if George Clooney has his way.
The actor and recently appointed United Nations' messenger of peace, 46, is asking his fellow members of the Screen Actors Guild to avoid a walkout by starting talks with studios and producers in anticipation of the union's June 30 contract deadline.
Clooney – along with fellow Oscar winners Robert De Niro, Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep – have taken out ads in Variety and the Hollywood Reporter, urging SAG to commit to negotiating a deal quickly, reports Reuters.
At last week's Oscar-nominee luncheon, Clooney expressed concern that the longer SAG officials waited to start talking to movie and TV producers, the weaker the actors' position might be.
'Strike Fatigue'
"I think there's a lot of strike fatigue, and I think you actually start losing negotiating power," said Clooney, reports Variety. "I would hope we in the Screen Actors Guild get back to the table."SAG national executive director Doug Allen said on Wednesday that the union, which represents about 120,000 actors, would begin talks with studios "at a time that will most benefit our members."
The last major SAG strike lasted for three months in 1980. In 2000, actors in commercials struck for six months – during which Clooney and Hanks both donated to the SAG Foundation's relief fund.
