I’m watching Season Two of The Last of Us (there will be no spoilers in this piece!) over the summer with some friends, and we get to a part including an on-screen ritual disembowelment. A child character watches the ritual disembowelment, then stares another character down and makes a slicing motion across his stomach as if drawing one of the curved ritual sickles across it. I remember being completely jolted out of the show as I realized that even if somehow they shielded that child actor from actually seeing the SFX organs spilling out of a strung-up SFX human being, they still had to direct that child to make that motion across his stomach as if cutting into himself, right next to an actor holding a weapon, probably telling him to “look like he was threatening to kill someone” or some similar stage direction. I remember thinking that there’s no way this 8-ish year old child could have understood the impact of this role even if he did personally consent (as opposed to a caretaker making the decision) to act in The Last of Us, and, much like the victims of family vlogging on social media, I wondered whether he would grow up to watch this show back and wonder why in the world his caretakers let that happen to him. 

And even if this child does not sustain long-lasting mental trauma, why is he working? We don’t think about this phenomenon enough. We have child labor laws for a reason; children are easily exploited and should therefore not be working at all, instead focusing on school and brain development. The money is also an issue; generally, parents are in charge of almost the entirety of any payment, and are also in control of signing the child up for events and acting roles. This situation, as I’m sure is obvious, could very easily turn abusive; children cannot stand up for themselves, but are tasked with working a job and making money which the parents then mostly keep. The child does not have a genuine capability to consent to any of this because of their young age and inability to understand the full consequences of what they are agreeing to.

So what am I saying? Should we only have adult actors – no movies with children in them in any capacity? Yes, that is pretty much my point. I think our only ethical options in the acting world are either for adults to act the roles of children or for CGI and motion capturing to be used for any child roles necessary. We could also do animated productions with adult voice actors. 

Wouldn’t this make the productions cheesy and obviously fake? Maybe. I don’t really care. Personal entertainment isn’t everything, and we certainly shouldn’t be sacrificing ethical treatment of children for a limited believability increase in a production we already all know is fictional. I’ll take a slightly uncanny valley CGI Renesmee (don’t search that name up unless you’ve already watched Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Pt. 1) over a real little boy making a disembowelment gesture over his own stomach in exchange for money that will be kept by his caretakers any day, and really, so should we all.

On March 7, members of The Writers Guild of America (WGA) voted just short of 99% in favor of a list of new demands from The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) – which represents Amazon/MGM, Apple, Disney/ABC/Fox, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Paramount/CBS, Sony, Warner Bros., Discovery (HBO) and more. The demands are in pursuit of higher pay, adjusted residuals, new staffing requirements and protections from artificial intelligence (A.I.), amongst other concerns. 

Six months later, no agreement has been reached and the WGA is currently on strike, joined now by The Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), marking the first joint strike between actors and writers in 63 years and the first joint walkout since 1980. With seemingly no end in sight, many actors, writers, unions, laborers and fans alike are left wondering what this strike could mean for the future of the entertainment industry.

The WGA is looking to address concerns within three main categories: compensation and residuals; pension plans and health funds; and professional standards and protection in the employment of writers. Their list of demands within these three categories is as follows:

Compensation and Residuals

• “Increase minimum compensation significantly to address the devaluation of writing in all areas of television, new media and feature”
• “Standardize compensation and residual terms for features whether released theatrically or on streaming”
• “Address the abuses of mini-rooms”
• “Ensure appropriate television series writing compensation throughout entire process of pre-production, production and post-production”
• “Expand span protections to cover all television writers”
• “Apply MBA minimums to comedy-variety programs made for new media”
• “Increase residuals for under-compensated reuse markets”
• “Restrict uncompensated use of excerpts”

Pension Plan and Health Fund

• “Increase contributions to Pension Plan and Health Fund”

Professional Standards and Protection in the Employment of Writers

• “For feature contracts in which compensation falls below a specified threshold, require weekly payment of compensation and a minimum of two steps”
• “Strengthen regulation of options and exclusivity in television writer employment contracts”
• “Regulate use of material produced using artificial intelligence or similar technologies”
• “Enact measures to combat discrimination and harassment and to promote pay equity”
• “Revise and expand all arbitrator lists”

On March 20, negotiations between the WGA and AMPTP began but eventually stalled. Demands were not properly addressed before the set deadline of May 1, which provoked the WGA members to withhold labor starting May 2 after a nearly-98% vote in favor of a strike. As a direct result, many prominent late-night shows such as “The Late Night Show with Stephen Colbert,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” were shut down, along with “Saturday Night Live,” “Real Time with Bill Maher” and “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.” 

As the strike continues, the list of projects that have halted production includes “Stranger Things” (Season Five), “Euphoria” (Season Three), “The Last of Us” (Season Two), “Abbott Elementary” (Season Three), “The Handmaid’s Tale” (Season Six and Finale), “Severance” (Season Two), “Big Mouth” (Season Eight and Finale), “Cobra Kai” (Season Six), “The Penguin (Season One Debut), “Dune Part 2”, Sony Pictures’ “Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse,” Marvel Studios’ fourth and untitled Spider-Man film, “Kraven the Hunter,” “Daredevil: Born Again” and “Deadpool 3,” among many others.

On June 5, SAG-AFTRA voted with nearly a 98% majority to strike if a deal could not be reached with the AMPTP by the end of the month, which would place them on the picket line alongside the WGA. SAG-AFTRA published a document detailing their positions, in which they explained they had already compromised during negotiations. However, according to this document, the AMPTP was not willing to meet the following demands:

• “Performers need minimum earnings to simply keep up with inflation”
• “Performers need the protection of our images and performances to prevent replacement of human performances by artificial intelligence technology”
• “Performers need qualified hair and makeup professionals as well as equipment to safely and effectively style a variety of hair textures/styles and skin tones”
• “Performers need compensation to reflect the value we bring to the streamers who profit from our labor”
• “All performers need support from our employers to keep our health and retirement funds sustainable”
• “Principal performers need to be able to work during hiatus and not be held captive by employers”
• “Principal performers need to be reimbursed for relocation expenses when they’re employed away from home”

According to the document, the AMPTP was only willing to agree to what SAG-AFTRA refers to as “simple basic issues of fairness and respect,” such as:

• “Access to reproductive healthcare and gender affirming care for performers working away from home in states that restrict medical access”
• “A consultation process to guard against racist and sexist “wiggings” and “paintdowns” of stunt performers”
• “Safety for performers working with animals on set”

In turn, SAG-AFTRA officially began their strike on July 13, which severely impacted the promotion of director Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” and director Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie.” Actors were unable to make media appearances pertaining to the release of either film, and the cast of “Oppenheimer” walked out of the premier of their own movie when the strike was announced. In spite of the clear negative impact on the two films, both Christopher Nolan and Greta Gerwg expressed their support for the WGA and SAG-AFTRA.

On Aug. 4, representatives of the WGA met with studios but to no avail, reporting that the AMPTP was not open to engaging in screenwriters’ issues. Now, over three months into the strike, a growing list of delays and cancellations is the least of the problems. The result of 171,500 actors and writers on strike in Hollywood is a hit to local economies all across the U.S. including a $3 billion blow to California. Consequently, 1.7 million out-of-state industry workers have been negatively impacted.

Though neither the WGA nor SAG-AFTRA could reach an agreement, The Directors Guild of America (DGA) agreed to a new contract with the AMPTP on June 23, shortly before SAG-AFTRA went on strike. The agreement between the AMPTP and DGA secured wage increases, better residuals and some protections from AI for directors. DGA released a statement on their website the following month, affirming their support for the WGA and SAG-AFTRA during their respective strikes.

For the strike to end, an agreement must be reached by the AMPTP with both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA. It is difficult to predict when this will happen, but, for now, an agreement seems unlikely in the near future. 

The Last of Us, both the video game and the TV show, have been a sensation in the entertainment industry. The game, released in 2013, was a critical and commercial success, due in part to its gripping story, intense action and compelling characters. The show, just recently premiering as of January, seeks to adapt the story of the 2013 game, in a mostly faithful fashion. The show is packed with an all-star cast, such as “Mandalorian” star Pedro Pascal as the lead role of Joell. It is also backed by an excellent narrative team with Neil Druckman, who directed the “original game” and Craig Mazin, who has had HBO success with hits like “Chernobyl”.

On the story side, both the game and the show serve as a gripping and emotional tale of survival in a post-apocalyptic world taken over by the cordyceps infection. The main characters, Joel and Ellie, are both complex and likable. Their evolving relationship drives the story forward as they seek to travel across this new-world United States. The show builds on the game’s story by delving deeper into the characters and their relationships. The producers also introduced new characters and storylines to keep the audience hooked.

Despite the game already being very cinematic in its presentation, the live-action nature of the TV show makes the violence and drama even more visceral than before. The show’s visual effects are also impressive and create an immersive world, full of danger and excitement. Playstation and Naughty Dog, who are responsible for the development of the game, are bound to see lucrative  synergistic success from the show. Sales for The Last of Us Part 1 on PS5 have already gone up with the announcement of a season 2, which will adapt the events of the second game in the series. 

The Last of Us game and TV show are both incredible pieces of art that have captivated audiences. If the show is to maintain its faithful relationship to its source material, viewers are set for a heartbreaking yet warming journey that will produce lasting feelings. The show builds on what the game set up and is sure to be a hit for fans of the game. Both the game and show are must-sees, and it’s clear why The Last of Us saga is so beloved. As of date, four4 episodes have been released and five more are on the way. Episodes air at 8 P.M central every Sunday night on HBO Max.