Alicia Hannah-Kim
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Hollywood as a community can be really joyful, fun, and inspiring. I feel like we’re all bringing the best of that to the picket line.
Written by Laura Sirikul
Photography by Dyan Jong
Styling by Juliet Vo
Hair & Makeup by Yuma Bastet
Fashion Assisting by Andrew Philip Nguyen
It’s 86 degrees on a Wednesday afternoon in front of Amazon Studios, picketers from WGA and SAG/AFTRA are marching, calling for fair pay and to have their demands met. But today, the picket has a different feel about it - it’s the K-Pop-themed picket. In front of the Amazon building, there is a group of people dancing to K-Pop – calling attention to the strike from cars and pedestrians.
Actress Alicia Hannah-Kim is one of the many participating in the picket – as she does often – and begins dancing the choreography to Blackpink’s Shut Down. For Hannah-Kim, this is a nice break from the monotony of the regular picket.
“First off, I’m really proud of us in the community for having the organizational level to bring together everyone for the themed [pickets],” Hannah-Kim tells me during dinner post-picket. “I’m always looking forward to dancing. I’ve seen different shows and their themes. There was a marching band one time. It’s lovely. Everyone is just trying to find a silver lining.”
Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, Hannah-Kim always dreamed of becoming an actress. There were very few job opportunities in Australian entertainment for those of Asian descent, so she set her sights on Hollywood.
“I needed to move to the US because the last job that I did here in Australia was for a movie called Candy,” Hannah-Kim explains. “I was, again, playing the immigrant that couldn't speak English, and I felt really muzzled. I thought I better try where there's a bigger industry and more opportunity – so naturally, I came to America.”
After landing many roles, which earned her SAG/AFTRA membership, she was given a regular series role on a popular television series. All of that came to a halt due to the SAG/AFTRA strike. Though Hannah-Kim would love to go back on set, she understands this strike is necessary to have their needs met.
“I definitely miss working on set,” Hannah-Kim shares. “I was really looking forward to this year and so to have to be on strike has been unfortunate. I think what makes it easier is knowing that the strike is necessary for us to move forward as an industry. The issues at stake must be resolved. The fact that there is such solidarity within SAG-AFTRA and with other unions - WGA, Teamsters, IATSE - gives me confidence in our cause. Everyone wants to get back to work, but in the right way.”
JULY spoke more with Hannah-Kim about the importance of the strike, their demands, and what keeps her going.
So tell me, how did you get your SAG/AFTRA card?
I got my SAG/AFTRA card by booking my first American job, which was a recurring role on Crash [in 2008]. I was Taft-Hartley into the Union. I remember [casting director] Sharon Bialy telling me, ‘you will never forget me, because I got you into the Union’ and I never did [forget]. I was really excited because I knew that to get into SAG/AFTRA was a really arduous process. You have to do background and I just circumvented all of that by being lucky enough to do Crash.
What were and are the benefits for you for SAG/AFTRA?
It’s everything. They govern your work, working conditions, minimum pay rates, working hours, health insurance, pension – you get protection from your union. A union is essential to any worker, especially an actor.
What were your general thoughts about the strike? Were you prepared?
I was prepared because the writer's strike preceded us. I think uncertainty is always scary but in some ways it was cushioned a little by knowing that it was coming. 97% of SAG/AFTRA came together and authorized the strike so I know we are all holding hands together and we’re united. That’s a formidable majority. But we don’t know how long it’s going to go on for. We don’t know how it’s going to be resolved and that uncertainty is definitely unsettling for all of us. We all want to go back to work.
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You voted YES for the strike. What were some of the main points you wanted AMPTP to recognize and most important to you?
It’s hard to pick out one because they’re all so essential to us. I think that A.I. protection is crucial to address. It’s bigger than just actors, it’s a human rights issue because without regulation, all of us are susceptible to being taken advantage of in that arena. That’s frightening to me. [Also], 86% of SAG/AFTRA do not make enough money to meet the minimum yearly to have health insurance. I think that is something we really need to work on as a union. It’s a new media landscape and we need a contract that reflects that because with streaming, our residuals, top of shows, and everything has been diminished. It’s getting harder and harder to be a working actor and make a living. I’m not talking about the 1%. I’m talking about working actors. It’s really hard to pick one issue out of the myriad of issues that we have to address with this strike. They’re all important.
Let’s talk about residuals. Were there any stories you heard that really impacted you?
It's a sad running joke amongst actors when you get the one-cent or the two-cent residual, we always laugh about it. We screenshot it and send it to each other. But my friend recently received a -$2.50 residual, at which point, he texted me, ‘do I owe them money?’ We couldn't figure it out. It’s absurd. It's that level of absurdity that's brought him here to this point, because who issues negative checks? That's crazy. The one-cent/two-cent residual and now negative check that people have received, those two things are not sustainable. That's not sustainable income for anyone. People need to be fairly compensated for their work.
Let’s talk about studios wanting A.I. to use your image and your voice.
This is so dystopian. This is an area where if we don’t regulate this properly as a society, it will affect everybody – not just actors, writers, and Hollywood. I’ve seen The Terminator 2. Has no one seen Terminator 2? [laughs] This is a dystopian future we are not prepared for. We have to honor the individual human integrity. Deepfakes are awful. We’re messing with truth and reality and I think A.I. is simply a better way of saying [we’re] not paying you for your work. There was a recent story of the extra that was scanned and then paid for one day of work, but her image was used multiple days for work on a shoot. This is a simple way of not paying a worker.
We know streaming networks have been trying to kill network television because there is a vastly different pay scale when it comes to streaming versus network. What are your thoughts on how streaming networks are dealing with actors, writers, and Hollywood in general?
Streaming is an entirely new landscape that we've moved into without updating an old contract. It’s only logical we update the contract to fit the new landscape. Streaming is marvelous. It’s a way for me to watch content that I would not ordinarily have access to. With streaming, we have a whole new world of global television and limitless content. There are amazing things about streaming. But what the actors are specifically asking for and keep asking for is such a tiny fraction of profit. What struck me when I was on the picket line was the chant ‘We want a fair contract!’ [because] that alone says everything. We’re not out here asking for something unreasonable. Give us a fair contract. Fair is the operative word and it says everything about the situation we’re in.
You picket very often and that’s so great. Why is it important for you to be out there?
Activism is scary in general. I experienced this during the Women’s March where I really was impressed by how important it is to physically put your body in the street to stand up for your rights. That’s a scary concept. That is a scary concept to me especially because I didn’t grow up in a country where political unrest or extreme activism is the norm. But, in terms of the strike, we were out there for the writers in solidarity in the beginning [before the SAG/AFTRA strike]. It is just the right thing to do. For those of us that can, that are able to, and are in town, it is the right thing to do – show up in the streets, walk the picket line in solidarity with all of us – the unions, WGA, SAG/AFTRA. It’s just important for me. I am very appreciative of everybody that comes out and gives their time, especially the strike captains. Then there are good people like [writer] Teresa Huang who are organizing theme pickets that really try to inject positivity and energy into an ongoing effort that becomes tiring and arduous for everybody. But why is it important? Because what else are we going to do? That’s what we’re supposed to be doing right now.
WGA has reached past their 100-day mark, which is more than their 2007 strike. Recently, an insider executive stated that they’re going to wait it out until writers and actors are starting to “lose their jobs and homes” as a fear tactic. What are your thoughts when you hear these stories?
I know a lot of people have said that they're really angry. But I just went straight to feeling very sad, because I think it's just a really mean thing to say. That sounds reductive, but it is at base level. I’m not sure how anyone can embrace that kind of negotiating tactic of wanting people to lose their homes, to want families to be in financial insecurity or to bleed writers and actors dry. That’s just not human to me.
Whenever I see you picketing, you’re always cheering, dancing, and singing. Even though I know it’s been difficult for everyone, you seem to always be cheerful, hopeful, and inspiring. What is it that gives you the inspiration to keep going?
Truly – everybody that comes out. I do personally find it scary to speak truth to power and find strength in having all of us united there. That is powerful. Everybody that is coming out is inspiring me to keep going. So I think one of the side effects of this, which is unexpected because you think ‘oh picketing, it’s going to be really miserable and there is no end in sight’, but actually when you get to the picket line, there’s a lot of community. You get to reunite with actors that you haven’t seen in awhile. You get to talk to the writers of your favorite show and geek out about an episode. Hollywood as a community can be really joyful, fun, and inspiring. I feel like we’re all bringing the best of that to the picket line. I’m proud to be part of this community.
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How can people who aren’t part of WGA or SAG/AFTRA help regarding these issues? Should audiences stop streaming and watching shows and movies?
I want to take into consideration that your average viewer is just an everyday person. Not everybody has the funds to send a coffee truck or send snacks – leave that to the people that are able to send those to the picket line. Voice support on social media. It's funny because I thought social media didn't seem to be effective. It’s a bit of an echo chamber, but I do find that there's a lot of online support for the strike, especially through my own social media channels. I've read a lot of supportive comments. I think that's important to show that we're all invested in this. Solidarity from other unions is also incredibly important – like Teamsters, IATSE etc. I saw that the Association of Flight Attendants were at one of the strikes, which just warms my heart. So I think that solidarity can always be expressed online. If you want to show up at a picket, if you’re able to, that’s great. I don’t want to tell people to spend money or send things. That’s our business to take care of. I wouldn’t tell anybody what to do with their viewing habits and their streaming. I don’t think that’s for me to tell you what to do. I will say, I’m really proud of the WGA because this is such an historic moment for our unions, and they've really met the challenge. All of us have stood together in solidarity with each other. It says so much about the power of a labor union and the power of community standing on the right side of history. I'm really proud of them.
Do you have anything to say to the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers?
I’ll keep this as simple as possible. Please come back and talk to us because we need to make this work.
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