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Mark Ruffalo and other pro-Palestine actors urge SAG to protect them
Text Halima Jibril
Several high-profile SAG-AFTRA members, including Mark Ruffalo, Ramy Youssef, Melissa Barrera and Susan Sarandon, are urging the union’s leadership to prevent blacklisting over pro-Palestinian views. In an open letter signed by over 700 industry figures, they claim repeated attempts to engage leadership in discussions about a ceasefire statement have been ignored.
The letter criticises SAG-AFTRA’s silence following its October 2023 condemnation of the Hamas attacks on Israel, stating that the union has failed to address Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which has killed over 41,000 Palestinians at time of writing. The group calls on the union’s president, Fran Drescher, to support a ceasefire and protect members facing backlash for their views.
Several members have been vocal about harassment and blacklisting due to their advocacy for Palestine, such as Barrera, who was fired from Scream 7 because of her pro-Palestinian Instagram posts in 2023. One West Coast actor, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of backlash, told The Hollywood Reporter that they and their representatives were the targets of a coordinated harassment campaign.
“We received a flood of hateful emails – some from well-known producers. I was scared for my career and my family’s safety,” this person explained. “It’s our union’s duty to protect us from this new McCarthyism, especially when we’re speaking up for human rights and our labour colleagues. Instead, it’s been deafening silence.”
In April, SAG-AFTRA acknowledged receiving these demands from members, with a spokesperson telling the Los Angeles Times that “requests for public statements… are currently under review”. Since then, SAG-AFTRA & Sister Guild Members for Ceasefire claim they have submitted multiple formal requests to engage with union leadership but have received no response.
Riz Ahmed, Busy Philipps, Indya Moore, Sara Ramirez, Cynthia Nixon, Kendrick Sampson, and Angelica Ross also signed the open letter, which you can read here.