Controversial Ban: Striking Actors Forbidden from Sporting Barbie and Wednesday Halloween Costumes

As people around the world prepare to dress up in their favorite Halloween costumes, actors who are part of SAG-AFTRA are unable to join in the fun due to strict rules.

Every Halloween, the streets come alive with the ghosts of Hollywood's biggest movies and TV shows. It's a time when people embrace pop culture and transform themselves into the most talked-about characters of the year.

In 2016, the streets resonated with the exclamation "Hey, Puddin'!" as people worldwide donned Harley Quinn's iconic pink and blue pigtails. This year, we can anticipate a similar phenomenon with the popular choices of Barbie and Wednesday for costume inspiration. However, it seems that SAG-AFTRA members will not be partaking in the festivities due to their ongoing strike action.

Striking actors urged to follow strict Halloween costume rules

SAG-AFTRA members, who are actors and performers in the US, are not allowed to dress up as characters from movies and TV shows that are on strike. Additionally, they are forbidden from posting pictures of their costumes on social media.

This includes Barbie, Greta Gerwig’s summer smash, Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan’s war epic, and Wednesday by Netflix. Certain superheroes, like Spider-Man and Thor, are off the cards, as they are owned by Disney.

SAG-AFTRA is currently on strike to advocate for better pay in the streaming era and more stringent regulation on the use of AI. This decision was made after unsuccessful negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).

Given the significant number of properties owned by AMPTP companies, you may wonder whom the striking actors can portray. In a post on its website, the guild encouraged its members to "select costumes inspired by broad, generic characters and figures such as ghosts, zombies, spiders, etc."

In addition, individuals have the option to wear costumes inspired by non-struck content, such as characters from animated TV shows. The post concludes with a strong statement, urging everyone to unite and send a resolute message to their employers, refusing to endorse their content unless a fair contract is in place. However, it is worth noting that there are some ambiguous cases, as pointed out by Variety. Members can confidently dress up as the character Jacob Elordi played, Elvis, from the strike-proof movie Priscilla by A24. However, they are advised against dressing up as Austin Butler's portrayal of the King of Rock n' Roll from Warner Bros.' film.

Meanwhile, The Hollywood Reporter states that “a truly determined fan” could argue that Barbie is, in fact, owned by Mattel and therefore fair game. 

However, promoting the biggest movie of the summer from a leading studio may not be well received, as the intention is to be conscious of the message a costume could convey.