Entertainment

Actions

'House of the Dragon' to keep filming in UK amid SAG-AFTRA strike

The HBO series hired mostly actors from the United Kingdom working with contracts that follow local union government rules.
Actors at a House of the Dragon" event in Los Angeles.
Posted at 9:04 PM, Jul 13, 2023

Filming for the hit HBO-hosted series "House of the Dragon" is set to continue even as the SAG-AFTRA strike goes on to join other groups striking for better pay in Hollywood. 

As Variety reported, production on the "Game of Thrones" prequel should continue in the United Kingdom as scheduled. The show employs mostly actors from the U.K., who are contracted under local government rules. 

SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher, Ben Whitehair, and Joely Fisher attend a press conference.

Drescher defends Italy trip during tense Hollywood strike negotiations

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher addressed criticism, saying she was working hard the entire trip as an ambassador for her organization.

LEARN MORE

The actors are unionized under a UK union called Equity which doesn't legally allow them to strike in a show of support for those unionized actors involved in negotiations for better pay in the U.S. 

SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher told reporters Thursday that the group's call for a strike "came with great sadness."

She said the group "had no choice." 

"We are the victims here," Drescher said. 

Collider reported that "House of the Dragon" was able to continue production on schedule, in part, because scripts had been completed before the strike call.

Equity told its actors in the U.K. they should continue working as they would have no legal protection against dismissal or from being sued for breach of contract if they strike, Screen Rant reported

The series is filming its second season, which began production in early April just before the Writers Guild of America went on strike in early May.