Hollywood stunt actors feel “screwed over” by the deal struck to end the historically long actors’ strike and fear their industry will be “decimated” by the move.
The Screen Actors Guild struck a deal to get actors and performers back to work on Nov. 9 after the 118-day strike, but the stunt workers who keep Marvel movies action-packed and help actors look superhuman on screen say the offered deal threatens their future.
“I’m terrified [this contract] is going to decimate the stunt industry,” Stuntwoman’s Association of Motion Pictures member Heidi Pascoe exclusively told The Post.
“The stunt community — [which] is really small — is really getting screwed over. We don’t have the numbers to stop this from going through. We just don’t,” Pascoe added.
Pascoe claims stunt workers are looked upon as the “red-headed stepchildren,” of the SAG union, with a long history of being overlooked and not listened to.
The performers are concerned the contract negotiated by SAG-AFTRA is not strong enough at stopping studios creating “digital replicas” of people and using Artificial Intelligence.
Stunt performers and extras claim language in the contract allowing studios to use “the voice or likeness of the performer” with the “purpose of portraying the performer” in parts of a film or TV series the actor didn’t “actually perform” sounds like a death sentence.
They fear Hollywood’s plan to “scan” actors will eliminate the need for stunt doubles who carry out the physically demanding flips, jumps and other high adrenaline tasks during filming.
Stuntwoman Katie Rowe told The Post although AI technology “isn’t there yet” in terms of replacing stunt workers completely, it will quickly become a reality unless it is stopped.
“I think replacing people is five years away,” speculates Rowe.
“They can certainly get close but they can’t really do it in a cost-effective way. I think the provisions we have protecting us [are] probably as good as they can be right now.”
“Westworld” stunt performer James Croak hopes some of the AI fears are being blown out of proportion and thinks directors will prefer to film scenes with stunt doubles in the same way they will want to continue using real actors to make movies.
“There will always be a need for stunt performers,” Croak explained, adding that the use of digital replicas may just boil down to the personal preference of the filmmakers.
To alleviate some of the fears surrounding AI, the proposed contract includes “semi-annual meetings” between union members and producers to “ensure that use[s] of [Generative Artificial Intelligence] mitigates against biases.”
In layman’s terms, that means SAG’s officials plan to monitor Hollywood producers and execs to make sure they’re not doing anything they might deem harmful to its members.
But those familiar with the workings of the union aren’t quite so sure.
“I’m not 100% trusting [union leaders], because there is a history in our guild of not enforcing stuff and we have to make them go after things,” Veteran stunt performer Thom Williams said.
“That’s my biggest fear with this. Yeah, they’re going to talk, but what exactly are they going to do?”
SAG’s proposed contract will be put to the vote on Dec. 5 and because of the long time since the strike began, many actors are ready to vote ‘yes’ simply to get back to work and start earning again.
Williams, who has worked in the Marvel universe among other films and TV series, told The Post that the “ramifications of voting no” and risking going back on strike are far worse than taking the deal they’ve gotten.
“I’m not happy about this either, I’m p—d. But I [don’t] think it would be worth to vote it down right now,” Williams said.
While Pascoe empathizes with the financial fears, she also believes that voting “yes” on the contract to get back to work sooner may be harming the very jobs stunt performers are hoping to get back to.
“I do feel for the performers who are struggling. I know people are out there getting second jobs and third jobs,” she told us.
“What’s terrible is that if this contract passes, those second and third jobs are going to become their permanent jobs.”
Echoing the sentiment, one female stunt performer told us that, while they “need to get back to work,” stunt workers are “very scared that [producers and directors] are going to edge us out.”