Bryan Cranston, Jessica Chastain join actors and writers for strike at Times Square

SAG-AFTRA held its largest and most star-studded rally yet in Times Square in a picket sign-waving show of solidarity 12 days into actors strike. A day after a Variety report questioned lack of A-listers that have hit picket lines thus far, rally Tuesday boasted more star watt than perhaps any single strike action yet.

Among those joining throngs of demonstrators were Jessica Chastain, Bryan Cranston, Brendan Fraser, Ellen Burstyn, Wendell Pierce, Steve Buscemi, Rachel Zegler, Michael Shann, Jane Curtin, Christian Slater and Chloe Grace Moretz.

Taking up a full city block, actors and representatives from actors union took turns giving fiery speeches on a st in heart of Times Square while tourists gawked and passing trucks honked in support. At times, actors took aim at corporate lights and billboards around m, including Walt Disney-owned ESPN and ABC studios that sat alongside rally.

"We've got a mess to Mr Iger," said Cranston, directing his comments at Disney CEO Bob Iger. "I kw, sir, that you look through things from a different lens. We don't expect you to understand who we are but we ask you to hear us, and beyond that, to listen to us when we tell you we will t be having our jobs taken away and given to robots. We will t have you take away our right to work and earn a decent living."

rally took place a stone's throw from Broway atres and, given talent involved, featured a higher degree of show business than your usual labour rally. Avatar actor Stephen Lang quoted Frederick Douglass. Wendell Pierce recited Samuel Beckett. Tituss Burgess didn't speak; he sang Stephen Sondheim.

Arian Moayed, who played investor Stewy Hosseini in Succession, compared characters of HBO series to studio executives actors are negotiating with. "It's like se people haven't seen () Succession," Moayed exclaimed. It's about you!

Christine Baranski of Good Wife and Good Fight likewise drew from her own credits. "We will t live under corporate feudalism. It is time, it is just simply time to make things right. Our contribution will t be undervalued, and we will t be robbed," said Baranski before concluding: Let's fight good fight!

Earlier this month, actors joined striking screenwriters who walked out in May. It's first time both unions have been on strike at same time since 1960. stopp has shuttered nearly all film and television production. Actors say streaming revolution has altered pay in entertainment, stripping m of residuals and remaking working conditions. y are also seeking guardrails against use of artificial intelligence, along with increases to union's health care and pension programs.

"Our industry has changed exponentially," said Cranston. "We are t in same business model that we were in even 10 years ago. And yet, even though y mit that that's truth in today's ecomy, y are fighting us tooth and nail to stick to same ecomic system that is outmoded, outdated. y want us to step back in time."

Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which is negotiating on behalf of studios, has said it presented actors with a generous deal that included biggest bump in minimum pay in 35 years among or benefits. Since talks broke off and Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Rio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) commenced strike, sides have t negotiated and talks are scheduled.

"We may be on strike but I said to m on July 12 we are rey to continue talking tomorrow and every day after until we reach a deal," said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, chief negotiator for SAG-AFTRA. "And I've said that every day since to media, to m, to anyone who would listen. SAG-AFTRA is rey, willing and able to return to bargaining table."

" only reason we aren't re w is because those companies said that y didn't want to deal with people who were uncivilized and because those companies said y wouldn't be rey to talk for quite some time," ded Crabtree-Ireland.

Many actors Tuesday cast strike in personal terms. Slater said union's health care helped sustain his far's life. Slater's far, actor Michael Hawkins, died last vember. Liza Colon-Zayas, 51-year-old Bronx-born actor of Hulu hit series Bear, said her lifetime of hard work isn't paying off.

"I have struggled 35 years to get here only to find residuals have dwindled exponentially," said Colon-Zayas. "If you can anunce highest-viewed this and highest profits in that, n you can track our residuals. So we need to come to table but we need to come to table in good faith that re will be transparency in how we are being paid by streaming. We need you to open books."