Tom Cruise reportedly asked the heads of the SAG-AFTRA union to consider allowing actors to promote their films during the strike.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Mission: Impossible actor was involved in a negotiating session between the actors' union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) via Zoom in June.
During the session, Cruise, who famously embarks on huge press tours for his releases, reportedly asked the union leaders to consider allowing actors to publicise their films during the strike given the delicate state of the cinema industry post-pandemic.
He noted that promotional work was important to actors as well as studios and can make a huge difference in box office performance.
SAG-AFTRA announced on Thursday last week (US time) that it was going on strike over issues such as pay, residuals, and artificial intelligence (AI). As per the current strike rules, publicity, including "conventions, interviews, tours or promotion via social media of any struck work or struck companies", is expressly forbidden during the work stoppage.
According to the report, the action man also addressed the subject of generative artificial intelligence in entertainment and supported SAG-AFTRA by rallying against the takeover of AI.
The star also talked about the union's demands on behalf of the stunt community, although specific details have not been disclosed.
Cruise, 61, recently finished a mammoth press tour to support Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning: Part One, which was released earlier this month.
He was gearing up to film the follow-up instalment, but production has reportedly been halted due to the strike.
