Yahoo News Actors Strike Creates Challenges for Charity Galas: “People Are Just Not Wanting to Be Seen Out and About”
For as much as autumn in Hollywood is film festival season (and usually the Emmys, as well), it’s also a time typically jam-packed with fundraising events, from the A-list Academy Museum and LACMA galas to charity dinners toasting celebrity honorees. But like almost everything else in the industry, many such events have been put into question by the actors and writers strikes — SAG-AFTRA in particular has noted that actors cannot do charity gala red carpets if there are any studio/streamer logos on the step-and-repeats, and studios are often sponsors.
A handful of charity events — including the HollyRod DesignCare Gala and Project Angel Food groundbreaking ceremony — have successfully happened with big names in attendance since the actors strike began July 14, and the Academy Museum gala (set for Oct. 14, with honorees Meryl Streep, Michael B. Jordan, Oprah Winfrey and Sofia Coppola) and Hollywood-loved Baby2Baby gala (set for Nov. 11) are expected to carry on as planned since they don’t have direct studio ties. But booking both star honorees and guests is proving more complicated right now as actors walk a careful line.
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One such example of the celebrity disruption came when the Blues Brothers (aka Jim Belushi and Dan Aykroyd) withdrew from headlining performances at both the Oceana and LA Food Bank charity events Aug. 12 and 13, citing SAG rules that they were not allowed to portray TV and film characters amid the strike.
“It was a complete shock. It was a shock to them, too. No one had any idea that the guild would take that position about the relationship of their band to a [more than] 20-year-old movie. They’re not promoting the movie, there’s no movie to promote,” says Oceana board president Keith Addis, who hosted both events at his and wife Keri Selig’s home. “We were on the phone, all of us, with agents and lawyers, with the guild, and the guild couldn’t give us cover.” Gladys Knight stepped in as the replacement performer.
Addis also notes that often charity events do not have an option to cancel as hard costs were largely paid for before the strikes. “It would have been an unbelievable disaster for both of these NGOs to cancel,” he says. As for the charitable mood in L.A. right now, he admits, “I think fundraising is harder. There’s a defensive sort of psychological umbrella over this town. No one knows how long these strikes are going to last.”
Adds an industry insider who did not want their name used: “We’re seeing a mixed bag with people’s individual comfort level. Some people are just sitting some things out altogether.” Another source says, “People are just not wanting to be seen out and about,” even if it’s in support of a charity. And for those who are saying yes to being an honoree, “it definitely has to be very charity-specific about their initiative and nothing to do with any other project,” since speaking about work for struck companies is strictly forbidden by SAG during the strike.
Another reason for the hesitation to support charity events right now is the gray area of what exactly SAG allows — though the step-and-repeat rule is clear, sources across the board express confusion over whether actors are still allowed to attend an event if a studio is just one of a dozen sponsors (rather than the main presenting sponsor) or if a studio has purchased tables at an event, as they often do. To err on the safe side, and to avoid being asked about struck work on the red carpet, stars may skip interviews or an event entirely, which then has an impact on the charity’s bottom line. SAG is advising actors to work with event teams in advance to find out who the sponsors are but hasn’t specified whether it would object to an event that had a studio supporter that wasn’t shown on a step-and-repeat.
One charity source says it’s tricky booking sponsors without the promise that stars will be present, as brands say they won’t sign on to a gala if they can’t guarantee that A-listers will pose with their logos; a lack of a big-name honoree can also impact ticket sales. “For a lot of these charities, there’s just so much uncertainty because they don’t have these names yet, so how are they going to sell tickets? That’s how you’re going to get the big donors and the big bucks,” the source says.
And those big bucks are key, as an annual gala often funds a charity’s operating budget for the whole year. So for now, most events have remained on the calendar, though some charities are prioritizing dates later in the year and looking beyond SAG members to book musicians and theater stars as the main draw.
This story first appeared in the Aug. 16 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
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