Great news! SAG-AFTRA have reached a tentative agreement with the AMPTP. This means that actors are able to resume their work filming projects for television, commercials, and movies. Congratulations to the members of SAG-AFTRA on their new contract!

Source: SAG-AFTRA

Emmanuelle Chriqui and Hayes MacArthur have been set to star in A Love Like This, an indie romantic drama directed by John Asher based on an original screenplay by Jeffrey W. Ruggles. The project was recently granted a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement allowing it to move forward.

The film, in production in Malibu, is billed as a romantic tale of two lovers who rent a beach house for the weekend, but there is more to their relationship than it seems.

Asher’s previous films include A Boy Called Po, Somebody Marry Me and Diamonds, as well as on the TV series One Tree Hill.

A Love Like This is produced by Jordan Bogdonavage, Michael Manasseri, Sergey Shtern, Brett Gursky and Lee Levin. Lisa Alfelt, Carl Radke and Sarah Santos are serving as executive producers. Jack DeCerchio is serving as associate producer. Chriqui and MacArthur are also producers on the film.

Of the project, Bogdonavage said, “It’s taken nearly a decade to make this film happen, so for all involved, it’s truly been a labor of love.”

Gursky added, “From the moment I first read Jeffrey’s script, which Jordan gave to me, I knew we had to get this very special movie made. I also knew John Asher was the director who could bring the vision to life. I sent it to him on a Saturday and by Sunday morning he said yes. Then I gave it to Emmanuelle, truly the perfect choice to play Leah, and she immediately wanted to be a part of it too. Then John gave it to Hayes to play Paul, and a dream team was assembled.”

Regarding the project’s ability to move forward amidst the SAG-AFTRA strike, Chriqui and MacArthur said in a joint statement, “We are incredibly grateful to SAG for continuing to support independent films like ours and for allowing us the chance to make this movie under the guidelines of an interim agreement.”

Chriqui is known for her roles as Sloan McQuewick on all seven seasons of HBO’s Entourage and as Lana Lang on the CW’s Superman & Lois. Her film roles include You Don’t Mess With the Zohan, Cadillac Records and Super Troopers 2. MacArthur’s credits include TBS comedy series Angie Tribeca and Netflix’s Merry Happy Whatever. He’s next up on the upcoming Dear Santa starring Jack Black and directed by Bobby Farrelly.

Chriqui is repped by Paradigm and Entertainment 360, and MacArthur by Innovative Artists and attorney Todd Rubenstein. Asher is repped by Jason Bellitto at Citizen Skull Management.

Source: Deadline Hollywood

Emmanuelle Chriqui wrote an editorial for Variety, please make sure you read it in it’s entirety on Variety.com!

Throughout my early life, being a Sephardic Jew was cool, even exotic. I never thought much about it. My friends accepted me, and when I came to Los Angeles, I was blessed with a wonderful career. I have played so many different nationalities, though never a Jew. I didn’t fit the stereotype of what a Jew looked like. My character in the television show “Entourage,” Sloan, was supposed to be half-Jewish, but I don’t think many people watching even knew that. Being Moroccan, though, I could play just about any other ethnic character.

Then two years ago, when the war erupted between Israel and Hamas in May 2021, antisemitism reared its ugly head on my social media feeds. I was truly faced with it for the first time. In the age of social media, antisemitic hate, conspiracy theories and misinformation were now rampant. 

Throughout my career, I have publicly advocated on behalf of many causes. I am proud of this, and it has given my life a sense of meaning, to use the platform I was fortunate to have to help others. 

Being an actor is very self-involved, so it felt good to give back and use my platform to amplify important causes and stand in solidarity with other persecuted groups. So, when Jews came under attack online and in the streets of Los Angeles and New York, I didn’t hesitate about advocating on behalf of my own people, but man, I was not ready for the backlash and absolute nastiness that ensued. 

For the first time in my life, I understood what my parents meant. Many people in the world still hated Jews. But instead of retreating, instead of staying silent and avoiding the blowback, I got louder and prouder. 

I never hid the fact that I was Jewish, but I took it a step further and started posting weekly about Shabbat. Not wanting to alienate anyone because I have incredible fans of all backgrounds, I posted about having a #happyfriday and #shabbatshalom. I made videos encouraging tolerance and speaking out against hate and injustice, including antisemitism.

Unfortunately, initially I noticed that speaking up against hate wasn’t always reciprocal. When it came to antisemitism, for some reason, Jews don’t always count. Hatred against Jews seemed up for debate. 

Source: Variety

Emmanuelle Chriqui is the featured guest on this week’s episode of Dream Chasers and Eccentrics podcast!

Emmanuelle Chriqui has been an actor since she was a child, and is best known for her roles as Sloan in Entourage, Dalia in Don’t Mess with the Zohan, and Lana Lang in Superman and Lois. We talk about developing of her career, getting into character, comedy, behind the scenes and homework, the benefits of having no backup plan, character traits useful to actors, talent, art vs craft, mistakes she avoided in her career, allowing herself to dream, confidence, a day in the life on set, meditation, challenges for women in acting, favorite and least favorite things about acting, staying sharp, and much more!

I have updated our photo gallery with 888 HD screen captures of Emmanuelle Chriqui from her most recent film, Cosmic Dawn!

Click on the thumbnail previews below to see screen captures from the movie.

Emmanuelle Chriqui Source supports the SAG-AFTRA strike.

The nearly 160,000 members of SAG-AFTRA, the union that represents all performers on film and television, are going on strike.

On Thursday, the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) announced its national board voted unanimously to launch the guild’s first strike. The news was unveiled by SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher and National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland during a press conference, following the expiration of the union’s current contract and a 12-day extension of contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers (AMPTP).

Why are the actors going on strike?
The short answer is because the SAG-AFTRA bargaining committee and AMPTP could not reach an agreement to form a new contract after their previous one expired on June 30.

But the reasons for a strike are many. SAG-AFTRA has faced a host of radical changes as the industry has pivoted away from more traditional models of theatrical distribution and network and cable television in favor of streaming. The issues at hand include the use of AI in generating and perpetuating actors’ likenesses, as well as residuals and data transparency for streaming projects. Other points of conflict are also salaries, particularly for guest stars, costars, and background actors, as rising inflation and the cost of living increasingly prevent many working actors from earning a living wage.

Drescher summed up the reasons for a strike in a press conference speech. “We are being victimized by a very greedy entity. I am shocked by the way the people that we have been in business with are treating us,” she said. “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 and millions of dollars to their CEOS. It is disgusting. Shame on them. They stand on the wrong side of history at this very moment.”

She continued: “The entire business model has been changed by streaming, digital, AI. This is a moment of history that is a moment of truth. If we don’t stand tall right now, we are going to be in trouble. We are all going to be in jeopardy of being replaced by machines and big business, who cares more about wall street than you and your family.”

#SAGAFTRAstrong #SAGAFTRAstrike

I have updated our photo gallery with 400 HD screen captures of Emmanuelle Chriqui from the final two episodes from season 3 of Superman and Lois!

Click on the thumbnail previews below to see screen captures from the episodes.

Emmanuelle Chriqui will not be returning as a series regular for season 4 of Superman & Lois, per Deadline.

The CW’s Superman & Lois has set the returning cast for the recently picked up 10-episode fourth season, with four of the 12 Season 3 series regulars coming back amid budget cuts. Departing as series regulars are Dylan Walsh, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Erik Valdez, Inde Navarrette, Wolé Parks, Tayler Buck and Sofia Hasmik, Deadline has learned. Five of them had been on the show from the start, Walsh, Chriqui, Valdez, Parks and Navarrette. The hope is for the septet to guest star/recur next season, reprising their roles, subject to interest on their part and availability.

I have updated our photo gallery with 12 HQ photos of Emmanuelle Chriqui attending the screening of “A Small Light” earlier this month in Los Angeles!

Click on the thumbnail previews below to be taken to images from the event.

Kevin Nealon, host of ‘Hiking with Kevin,’ treks the trails with actor Emmanuelle Chriqui in a Los Angeles canyon. Emmanuelle chats about being a creature of habit, the Entourage reunion, her most embarrassing commercial, being a clean freak, easily crying, Superman and Lois, plus more.