Filming for the last two weeks of season four of “The Chosen” resumed Monday, thanks to a waiver that allows the cast to work on the streaming series about Jesus’ ministry despite the actors’ strike against Hollywood studios.
Members of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists went on strike Thursday in a bid for better pay in the streaming era and shut down production of many film and TV projects — including “The Chosen” in Goshen, Utah.
“Great news!” series creator/producer Dallas Jenkins tweeted Sunday. “We just received word from SAG that we have been approved for a waiver. We’ll continue shooting on Monday.”
“Fantastic!!!! So glad to hear this,” tweeted a fan with the Twitter handle rsrnFL. “My wife and I left the set Friday evening so elated with the 4 days spent as Extras/Background. But sad for the crew and cast concerning the strike. But prayers were answered, so thankful season 4 will wrap up.”
The independently produced series, which had spent weeks filming at Camp Hoblitzelle, a Salvation Army facility in Midlothian, Texas, moved production to Utah to complete season four.
In an Instagram post after applying for the waiver, Mr. Jenkins told SAG-AFTRA: “We’re the good guys; we’ve treated your actors well. Please take the few minutes to approve our application so your actors can get back to work getting paid for the last two weeks of a season they want to finish.”
“We’ve worked hard to accommodate all of SAG’s requests and their interim agreement. We appreciate their recognition of us as an independent [production] as well as their hard work in this process,” Mr. Jenkins said in a statement sent by his publicists.
Pamela Greenwalt, chief spokeswoman for the SAG-AFTRA union, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on why “The Chosen” received the strike exemption, known formally as an “interim agreement.”
But industry trade website Dateline quoted Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the union’s chief negotiator, as saying SAG-AFTRA “will give as many interim agreements as we can, so long as they are truly independent.” Those granted an exemption agree to be bound, retroactively, to the eventual terms the union reaches with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents the major studios.
• Mark A. Kellner can be reached at mkellner@washingtontimes.com.
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