Patrick J Adams has deleted a series of behind-the-scenes photos of him and his Suits co-star Meghan Markle from Instagram in light of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.
As Suits has seen a resurgence on Netflix, audiences have begun to familiarise themselves with Meghan Markle beyond her her role as the Duchess of Sussex. From 2011 to 2017, Meghan starred alongside Adams in the legal drama as his character Mike Ross’ love interest, paralegal Rachel Zane. The pair left the show after season seven but Suits continued for two more years before concluding with a ninth season.
In the snapshots that Adams described as a “trip down Suits memory lane,” the co-stars were pictured kicking back and goofing around with their fellow cast members. But the actor deleted all four posts -including shots of Meghan relaxing on set and smiling under an umbrella- after his followers reminded him that promoting a TV show, whether it’s on the air or not, is considered against the rules of the SAG-AFTRA strike.
According to the SAG-AFTRA FAQ page detailing the rules union members must abide by while striking, members are not allowed to “promote struck work or struck companies on social media” and influencers “should refrain from posting on social media about any struck work regardless of whether they are posting organically or in a paid capacity”.
After being called out in his comment section, the actor quickly “course-corrected” and issued an apology to his followers and peers. In a statement shared to his Instagram Story on Tuesday, Adams stated: “The last couple of days I foolishly and thoughtlessly let a trip down Suits memory lane distract me from the very real and ongoing fight everyone in @sagaftra continues to wage in its effort to win our membership realistic 21st century compensation and protections.”
“It was an embarrassing oversight for which I’m incredibly sorry,” he added. “So grateful to those who gently and swiftly course-corrected me here and I look forward to continuing the fight in the days and weeks ahead. #sagaftrastrong”
According to the official website, SAG-AFTRA, which was formed in the 1930s following the rise of cinema in the 1920s, “brings together two great American labor unions: Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists”. The website continued to explain that the union represents “approximately 160,000 actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists and other media professionals”.
SAG-AFTRA elected to strike due to the ongoing contract disputes with big studios like Netflix, Amazon, Warner Bros Discovery, and more. As streaming services have risen in popularity, actors have witnessed a decline in wages and residuals across the board due to the new streaming model. Actors are not only seeking better compensation and benefit plans but are looking for protections against the impact of AI as well.
