Matt Damon has revealed the cast of ‘Oppenheimer’ talked about their strike strategy before attending the film’s red carpet premiere in London on Thursday.
“We talked about it,” Damon said Variety on the carpet. “Look, if it’s called now, obviously everyone will march in solidarity… Once the strike is officially called, [we’re walking]. That’s why we moved this [red carpet] because we know the second he’s called, we’re coming home.
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Damon added: “We gave the strike permission. We voted 98% to 2% to do so because we know our leadership has our best interests at heart. »
“It’s really about working actors,” he continued. “It takes $26,000 to qualify for health coverage and a lot of people are on the margins and the residual payments push them over that threshold. This is not an academic exercise. It’s real life and death. Hopefully we will come to a resolution soon. Nobody wants a work stoppage, but we need to get a fair deal.
The London carpet for Christopher Nolan’s atomic bomb thriller kicked off just before 5pm local time, with many nervous publicists and marketers looking anxiously at their phones and watches. In the event of an early strike, sources said Variety that the entire cast planned to quietly step off the carpet in Leicester Square.
Emily Blunt said Variety“Obviously we’re all players and at any time we’re going to come home and stick together because I want everyone to get a fair deal.”
When asked if she would be joining the picket line herself, the British star joked: “Oh I think so!” before being rushed to the line by her publicist.
Kenneth Branagh, who plays physicist Niels Bohr in the film, also spoke with Variety about his feelings during the strike.
“There are a lot of people here that we didn’t want to disappoint, but we also totally stand in solidarity with our colleagues and what they are doing,” he said. “I know they have worked diligently to reach an agreement which comes at a critical time in our industry. It is important that we are ready to be side by side with them as the situation evolves.
Nolan also spoke to Variety on the carpet about the duration of the film.
“The runtime is two minutes shorter than ‘Avengers: Endgame,’ so we’re sticking with it,” he said. “I told (producer) Emma Thomas early on that it would be a three hour movie. I need to write a script that reflects that. That was our conversation with the studio. It’s a great story and needs It’s a 180 page script and it’s an 180 million dollar movie.
The cast worked on the carpet for the better part of an hour before wrapping up around 6 p.m. for group photos. Rami Malek, who was stuck in traffic heading for central London after a shoot, missed the red carpet completely, but arrived at the 11th hour and rushed to the carpet to take pictures.
The cast is expected to head to the BFI IMAX in Waterloo for the actual screening at 7 p.m., which is about a 15-minute drive.
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