What *can* actors do during the SAG-AFTRA strike?

As it is still new and something studios, actors and fans are figuring out how to adjust to, the SAG-AFTRA strike has left a lot of questions – and it’s not just ones like, What are studios thinking when saying they want to own an actor’s likeness for eternity?! Most are also wondering, When will I get to see my favorite stars again? As it turns out, it could be sooner than you think although not for the reasons you might hope.

Although the SAG-AFTRA strike, via the union contract, prohibits performers from starring in television or movies, they really do have a lot of other avenues by which to create – or, rather, shill – a product, as actors can appear in commercials. So, yes, Steven Seagal can pump out as many overtly suggestive wine ads as he wants. They can also turn up on programs such as soap operas, reality competitions and game shows. And while we probably won’t be seeing Ryan Gosling dressed as a chupacabra on The Masked Singer anytime soon, it does still give some C-tier celebrities a little something.

As per The Hollywood Reporter, actors looking to stay in features, there is a clause that, according to The Hollywood Reporter, permits this so long as the budget for an indie feature doesn’t exceed $20,000 and shorts don’t exceed $50,000. Student films are also permitted, which means we expect Tom Cruise to be stapling flyers to USC bulletin boards any day now…Marvel Cinematic Universe actor Mark Ruffalo even made a call for his fellow SAG-AFTRA members to sign on for independent movies amid the strike, saying it would create competition within the industry. No word yet if Mark Ruffalo has signed on for a micro-budget indie that will have ultra-limited theatrical distribution…

Other work actors can get during the SAG-AFTRA strike include non-theatrically released animated projects, corporate-sponsored videos and audio-based works such as video games, audiobooks and podcasts, so long as those podcasts have a low budget.

As for September’s 75th Primetime Emmy Awards – the nominations of which came on July 12th, two days before the SAG-AFTRA strike officially started – it could possibly be postponed amid both the actors’ strike and the Writers Guild of America strike, which has been going on for two and a half months now.

Which fringe project would you like to see a major Hollywood star do during the SAG-AFTRA strike? Let us know!