Desperate, Striking, SAG Actors….
Published NEW YORK POST/Oct 15th 2023
“Maestro,” the highly anticipated Leonard Bernstein biopic starring Bradley Cooper, has Oscar bait written all over it.
It’s said to be a passion project for Cooper, who reportedly won the rights over Jake Gyllenhaal, who had his own project on the legendary American composer in the works. The Oscar-nominated actor isn’t just starring in the film — alongside Carey Mulligan — he’s also directing it, while Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese are among the producers. “Maestro” is set to hit theaters in late November, and stream on Netflix in late December, a release plan ideally calculated for awards season. There’s just one problem.
Because of the SAG-AFTRA strike, which started July 14, Cooper can’t promote the upcoming film. But, in a stroke of incredible convenience, the 48-year-old actor is reportedly in the early stages of a new romance with supermodel Gigi Hadid, 28.
As the actors’ strike drags on and prevents movie stars from doing traditional press such as talk shows and magazine interviews, A-Listers are finding creative ways to stay in the public eye — and in the minds of Emmy and Oscar voters.
That includes walking any red carpet they can without being a scab, attending major sporting events and concerts and, of course, putting in some photogenic time on the picket lines.
“Actors have to remind [Oscar and Emmy] voters they’re important [and remind] casting agents that they’ve got great social numbers,” a veteran celebrity publicist told The Post.
The Oscar nominations are months away, but “Barbie” star Simu Liu can’t let the world forget he’s enough to warrant a Supporting Actor nod. Earlier this week, Liu attended the premiere of the “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” movie in Los Angeles. In addition to posing for pictures on the red carpet with girlfriend Allison Hsu, he shared the night out on Instagram with his 3.2 million followers.
Meanwhile, Emmy frontrunners — TV nominations were announced just days before the strike began, and the ceremony will be held in January — have been prominently picketing for months. Jeremy Allen White (“The Bear”), Melanie Lynskey (“The Last of Us”), Nick Offerman (also for “The Last of Us”), Alan Ruck (“Succession”) and Jennifer Coolidge (“White Lotus”) have all held signs with their union brethren Sure, they’re earnestly showing solidarity with their fellow actors, but they’re also, intentionally or not, courting peers who vote.
“They walk for one day, pose for photos,” one SAG communications worker told The Post. “That’s why they came — to be memes.”
The manager of a private club notes that appearing on the picket line is a good way for celebs to get their photos out there without it seeming like they’re having too much fun during a serious time.
“Stars are now afraid of looking glam and having too good a time,” the manager told The Post. But many A-Listers have no qualms about appearing to be enjoying themselves. In recent months, actors have enthusiastically attended big celebrations and events, making for handy photo opportunities.
In August, Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner were all over each other at the US Open. Some saw young love and a passion for tennis, but others suspected it was also a ploy for Chalamet to stealthily promote “Wonka,” out in December. Jenner, meanwhile, has a new concealer that just dropped at the end of September.
At the end of August, Jessica Chastain, an Emmy nominee for “George & Tammy,” enthusiastically posted to Instagram after attending Swift’s Mexico City concert and meeting the singer backstage. When Swift swept through Los Angeles a few weeks prior, her six nights at SoFi Stadium were a Who’s Who of award show regulars — Sarah Paulson, Lupita Nyong’o, Brie Larson, Emma Stone and many more. A similar galaxy of stars — including Sterling K. Brown, Issa Rae, Quinta Brunson — came out for Beyoncé’s LA shows in early September.
The fall fashion shows in New York, Milan and especially Paris were also packed with even more celebs than usual. At the Louis Vuitton show alone, Zendaya, Cate Blanchett, Ana de Armas, Regina King, Saoirse Ronan, Alicia Vikander, Phoebe Dynevor, Hannah Einbinder and Chloë Grace Moretz were in attendance. The Dior show was also high wattage with Charlize Theron, Jennifer Lawrence, Anya Taylor-Joy, Robert Pattinson, Rachel Zegler and Emmy-nominated ‘it’ girl Jenna Ortega. At the Gucci Ancora in Milan, Julia Garner, Paul Mescal, Jessica Chastain, Elizabeth Stewart and several pairs of chic sunglasses made for a very glam front row.
“Fashion shows are a great way for stars to promote themselves,” an anonymous designer told The Post. “They get their hair and makeup done backstage, get dressed in gorgeous new clothes.”
“That’s millions in free branding/publicity,” added a rep for Kering brands, which include Gucci, Balenciaga and Saint Laurent. “Trust me, celebs in designer clothes get more press than runways do.”
Even small events can make for effective publicity ploys.
Earlier this week, Jamie Foxx attended a 15th birthday party for his daughter Anelise Bishop, carrying two comically huge Gucci shopping bags — the better to attract paparazzi.
Whatever they’re doing, many stars are on social media more than ever.
“Celebrities feel compelled to post; their followers expect it,” a celebrity social media consultant told The Post. “Right now, everyone needs distraction.”
Zendaya and boyfriend Tom Holland engaged in perhaps the cutest social media fodder of the moment when the hot duo visited an animal rescue center in London earlier this month, snuggled with some puppies and got some A+ content for Instagram.
Some actors are looking for other revenue streams. The web service Cameo, in which people of all levels of fame sell themselves for video messages, has experienced a resurgence of late, with business doubling since the strike began. Even SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher is on the site, offering messages for as little as $20.
Turns out, she gets zero SAG salary and “only spotty residuals from ‘The Nanny,’” she told New York Magazine. “I only make money if the show gets sold to a new outlet.”
Public-relations firms are also feeling less than flush with clients unable to make use of many of their services. Most have had to lay off staff, and some agency owners have stopped taking salaries to stay afloat.
Stylist and “glam squads” — hair and makeup teams — are bleeding as stars make fewer big, traditional promotional appearances.
“For me, and I think a lot of stylists, it’s been hard to take a work break so soon after the pandemic,” said celeb stylist Ilaria Urbinati, whose clients have included Ryan Reynolds, Rami Malek, The Rock and Chris Evans. “Most of us were not in the position to do that. I’m lucky corporate clients like Jaguar kept me busy.”
As the strike drags on, people behind-the-scenes are grumbling about how it’s affecting ancillary industries in Hollywood. “They’ll wind up with better deals,” says an event planner of the big name actors picketing. “But what about the rest of us?”
BACKGRID
Merle Ginsberg is a fashion writer and television personality who was one of the judges on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” in the first two seasons of the show. She is also an award winning journalist and writer, and a NY Times bestselling author. She started her long media career in NY at the Village Voice, MTV and Rolling Stone. Then, moving to L.A., she wrote for People, Us, L.A. Times and W Magazine and Women’s Wear Daily, where she presided over the West Coast bureau for 12 years, also contributing to L.A. Magazine, Jane and Details. She also served as Senior Style Editor of The Hollywood Reporter.
