Due to the SAG-AFTRA Strike, there were no actors to walk the red carpet at the premiere of Disney's Haunted Mansion. And Disney got disturbingly creative to find a replacement.
The joined strike of writers and actors in Hollywood has already led to some memorable actions, like the cast of Oppenheimer leaving their premiere. Now, the new Disney movie Haunted Mansion had its debut without any of the actors showing up.
Disney, probably due to being afraid of losing revenue from corporate sponsors (Disney needs sponsors?!), have decided to roll out the red carpet for other stars to walk.
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Disney Replaces Actors With Theme Park Characters
Due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, guild members aren't allowed to attend any promotional events or activities for their work.
So instead of actors like Danny DeVito, LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Rosario Dawson, Chase W. Dillon, Daniel Levy, Jamie Lee Curtis, Hasan Minhaj, Marilu Henner, and Lindsay Lamb, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse walked down the red carpet, as well as Cruella de Vil and other theme park characters.
Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse have arrived at the #HauntedMansion premiere in Disneyland -- the first major carpet to take place since SAG-AFTRA voted to issue a strike Thursday. https://t.co/ozgw9lMm8J pic.twitter.com/tMkYTHFIZe
— Variety (@Variety) July 16, 2023
Director Justin Simien thought this whole setting is "sad and disappointing", while he makes clear he's not disappointed by the cast and really appreciates their work. His disappointment comes from the conditions that led to the situation.
And this situation truly is weird. It looks rather like a parade in Disneyland than a movie premiere. A two-hour parade of costumed characters instead of interviews with the cast, photo calls.
It could be some foreshadowing of what to expect from future premieres, since the strike doesn't seem to end anytime soon. It remains unclear what other studios will do if they can't rely on their theme park characters.
Disney's CEO Calls Expectations Of Writers & Actors On Strike "not realistic"
Bob Iger, Disney's CEO, claims that writers and actors are fueling the problems the business is facing since the pandemic. Iger returned to his position as CEO just in November 2022 after retiring in 2021, making $15 million in the last two months of 2022.
While someone could argue that it seems more disturbing to demand to let the participants of the SAG-AFTRA strike lose their homes, Iger seems more concerned about the economy as he said in an interview:
It will have a very, very damaging affect on the whole business, and unfortunately, there’s huge collateral damage in the industry to people who are supportive services, and I could go on and on. It will affect the economy of different regions, even, because of the sheer size of the business. It’s a shame, it is really a shame.
Bob Iger is completely out of touch if he thinks the unions are the ones being unrealistic here. pic.twitter.com/t9XDabMhMZ
— Adam Conover (@adamconover) July 14, 2023
