Lucifer has joined the picket line. Actor Tom Ellis recently expressed his support by protesting with Writers Guild of America (WGA) members currently striking for better pay. The Lucifer star displayed his commitment to the cause on Instagram Friday, posting a photo of himself standing in the picket line, proudly holding a sign that says, “I’m an actor. I literally don’t know what to say.”
He captioned the shot: “Spent today Marching in solidarity with my #WGA friends, family and colleagues. Writers are inventors they should be paid as such. Without them we are nothing.”
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On Twitter, Selwyn Seyfu Hinds, a television writer, and producer, shared a photo of him with actor Ellis still holding the sign. Hinds tweeted, “When your star shows up to picket. Thanks for the support Tom!!!” Hinds has served as creator and showrunner of Washington Black, Hulu’s upcoming television adaptation of Esi Edugyan’s 2019 novel, and it stars Ellis as Christopher “Titch” Wilde.
The strike has been ongoing since May 2 because the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) could not reach a deal on a new contract and was unanimously approved by the WGA West and WGA East. It is the first of its kind since the WGA strike, which occurred in November 2007 and continued until February 2008. This strike is primarily focused on residuals from streaming media, with the WGA asserting that AMPTP’s cut of those residuals has resulted in declining wages for writers over the last decade, which is why they are demanding a strike in 2023. (In the meantime, studio profits have only increased.) Another central talking point is artificial intelligence, as writers are fighting against the threat of artificial intelligence replacing them.
As for Ellis, he has appeared as the lead character in all six seasons of Lucifer, which aired for three seasons on Fox from 2016 to 2018, prior to moving to Netflix for three more seasons from 2019 to 2021.
Netflix premiered its adaptation of The Sandman in 2022, starring another Tom in the title role, Tom Sturridge, as the main protagonist Dream of the Endless. Although the show shares much of the same source material as Lucifer, it does not share any direct ties to Lucifer, with Gwendoline Christie playing the role of Lucifer Morningstar in The Sandman.
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SAG AFTRA members walk at a picket line outside of Disney Studios in Burbank, California, on October 3, 2023. The bulk of film and television production across the US has been at a standstill since scribes walked out in early May, being joined by actors in July, all seeking a better deal and assurances their jobs won't be lost to artificial intelligence. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP) (Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images) -
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