Olivia Wilde protests with SAG-AFTRA on NYC picket line during strike

Olivia Wilde wears all black as she proudly protests with SAG-AFTRA on the New York City picket line during history-making strike

Olivia Wilde was among the A-list stars who lent their support to the new SAG-AFTRA strike in New York City on Friday.

The 39-year-old filmmaker – who was seen in the city earlier this week – wore all black and held one of the ‘SAG-AFTRA ON STRIKE!’ signs.

The Booksmart director looked chic as she wore a pair of square-shaped cat eye sunglasses.

The mother-of-two went makeup-free underneath the shades as she stood in solidarity with her fellow artists.

Wilde’s golden blonde-highlighted hair was worn loose, falling over her shoulder in a cut with shaggy curtain bangs.

Protestor: Olivia Wilde was among the A-list stars who lended their support to the new SAG-AFTRA strike in New York City on Friday

Signage: The 39-year-old filmmaker wore all black and held one of the ‘SAG-AFTRA ON STRIKE!’ signs

The union – which stands for Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists – announced on Thursday that its leadership had officially voted to join screenwriters in the first joint strike in more than six decades. 

It came after the collective, which represents approximately 160,000 actors and entertainers, failed to reach a deal with studios in negotiations for better pay and benefits.

The strike officially began at midnight and comes after the entertainers’ demands for higher wages and protections against artificial intelligence were not met.

Under the rules of a strike SAG-AFTRA, members are not able to film any movie or TV series, take part in any press or film premieres, or promote anything at this month’s San Diego Comic-Con.

The announcement marks the first strike for actors from film and television shows since 1980.

It is also the first time two major Hollywood unions have been on strike at the same time since 1960, when Ronald Reagan was the actors’ guild president.

The strike will affect Disney’s Avatar and Lion King sequels, as well as shows that were scheduled to return to television in the fall, like The Simpsons.

On Thursday Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the National Executive Director of SAG-AFTRA and chief negotiator for its collective bargaining agreement, said that dead-end discussions with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers left the union ‘no choice’ but to go forward with a strike. 

Accessory: The Booksmart director looked chic as she wore a pair of square-shaped cat eye sunglasses

Beaming: The mother-of-two went makeup-free underneath the shades as she stood in solidarity with her fellow artists

In addition to protesting, Olivia also used social media to extend her support on Thursday afternoon.

Sharing with her 4.2 million Instagram followers, the actress posted a Story that read: ‘You share the wealth because you cannot exist without us.’

She tagged actress Fran Drescher – who is the president of SAG-AFTRA – and added ‘#unionstrong.’

Wilde had previously supported the Writers Guild of America strike, which began in May.

She used her social media platform to share a black and white image of her and her two children – Otis, 9, and Daisy, 6 – holding picket signs.

The star wrote in the caption, ‘Core memories include learning about corporate greed even when you wanna love Netflix.’

‘It came with great sadness that we came to this crossroads. We had no choice,’ Drescher said in an impassioned speech on Thursday.

‘We are the victims here. We are being victimized by a very greedy entity. I am shocked by the way the people we have been in business with are treating us,’ she added.

Monumental: The union – which stands for Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists – announced on Thursday that its leadership had officially voted to join screenwriters in the first joint strike in more than six decades

Message: In addition to protesting, Olivia also used social media to extend her support on Thursday afternoon

‘I cannot believe it, quite frankly, how far apart we are on so many things. How they plead poverty that they’re losing money left and right while giving hundreds of millions of dollars to CEOs,’ the former Nanny star emphasized.

She added, ‘It is disgusting. Shame on them. They stand on the wrong side of history at this very moment.’

George Clooney is among the creators who have spoken out about the strike.

The 62-year-old filmmaker issued a statement to ET, describing the movement as a turning point in Hollywood’s history.

The longtime performer stated, ‘This is an inflection point in our industry. Actors and writers in large numbers have lost their ability to make a living. For our industry to survive that has to change. For actors that journey starts now.’

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