The Big Five in Hollywood is not a descriptive nickname given on the basis of talent, body of work or the transformative nature of their cinema. It is a moniker referring to the scale, the sheer might of five major studios and the asymmetrical power equations resulting from it.
As a growing coalition of Hollywood figures intensify their opposition of the proposed Paramount-Warner Bros merger, the inequity and imbalance that has always plagued the industry comes under the scanner.
Last time, Hollywood’s studio culture came to the fore was when a four-month long SAG-AFTRA strike in 2023 rocked the industry. SAG-AFTRA, a labour union representing about 160,000 artists, workers, creatives in the entertainment industry, locked horns with all of the major studios for better pay, working conditions, residuals from streaming services and security in the wake of AI. President of SAG-AFTRA, Fran Drescher, in a viral speech, called out the studios’ “greed and bullying tactics” adding how “they cared more about Wall Street than the workers or their families.”
Discrimination against actors and characters of colour
The allegations of cut-throat capitalism and profiteering aside, almost all major studios have been called out for discriminating against talent of colour. It is not just the negative stereotyping of characters of colour, but hiring of actors or executives too. Several studies have thrown light on the hiring practices in Hollywood and found the studio executives in key roles to be overwhelmingly white. So established and systemic has been the nature of the racial discrimination that Disney was cornered into inserting content warning for racism in classic films including “Dumbo”, “Peter Pan”, “Jungle Book”.
The unskippable content advisory notice, “This programme includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures” flashes up every time these films, among others, play on the streaming sites.
The move came in response to long-standing and ever growing criticism, social media pressure and increased activism for inclusivity. If not by the viewers, the allegations and criticism continues by those on the other side of the fence. In 2020, actor John Boyega called out Disney for the treatment of his character and how the studio sidelines characters of colour.
The studio executives and the absolute power
The Harvey Weinstein scandal laid threadbare the absolute power wielded by studio executives or the show runners, as they are termed. Among the most vocal critics has been actress Rose McGowan, who back in 2016 brought her case on social media. While not naming the executive, McGowan posted that she had been raped by a studio boss, who was also a serial predator but never reported to the authorities because a criminal attorney told her that, “she would never win against the studio head.”
Rebels with a cause, actors who spoke out
In the 1940s-50s, the era was defined by studio executives blacklisting actors on the basis of their political and ideological backgrounds. The power imbalance continued to exist and evolve with industry being criticised, although not openly exposed, for racial profiling, sexism, stereotyping, pay disparities and predatory contractual obligations. The actors who rebelled or called out were socially stubbed out, as the studios controlled the talent, dictated careers and dominated finance and distribution mechanisms and largely continue to do so.
Also read: Paramount-Warner Bros deal: Mark Ruffalo thinks he’s ‘on a list'
In November 2019, not-for-profit Hollywood Commission launched a large-scale survey about discrimination, harassment and bullying practices in the entertainment world. Chaired by Anita Hill, Professor at Heller School for Social Policy and Management, the report said what had very well been known and said in hushed voices, “Hollywood has an entrenched and endemic issue with bullying that is exacerbated by the industry’s power imbalances.”
Meanwhile, an open petition opposing $111 billion deal has surpassed 4000 signatures, with Robert De Niro, Mark Ruffalo, Sofia Coppola, Holly Hunter, Pedro Pascal, Ben Stiller in the names of signatories. The petition, launched on April 13, has drawn support from a wide and diverse cross-section of people from the industry, including several notable names, union members and more than 75 Oscar winners and nominees.
But over 4000 signatures is not even a long shot when placed against the proposed $111 billion.
Paramount is looking ahead and not looking around in the proposed merger. The company aiming to transform itself into a Hollywood heavyweight under tech billionaire Larry Ellison and his son David Ellison, is currently facing allegations of violating US Securities and Exchange Commission disclosure rules. To help get the WB dead through, Paramount has also wished for the government’s approval of the foreign ownership stake.
The deal will see Paramount Skydance seize control of all Warner Bros titles and channels, including “Harry Potter”, “Game of Thrones”, news network CNN, but it is the job losses, reduced opportunities, industry consolidation that worries those opposing it.
The artists and workers fear that the deal, which is still awaiting approval from the US Department of Justice and European competition regulators, will drastically alter the media landscape in an already monopolised industry of a few key players. Notably, in 2019 the Big Six became the Big Five after Disney acquired 20th Century Fox in 2019. In April 2022, Warner Media, including Warner Bros and Discovery Inc merged to form Warner Bros Discovery.
As the actors and regulators come together, sign open letters and give media interviews to consolidate public opinion, the flipside of Hollywood plays out like a script. “The result will be fewer opportunities for creators, fewer jobs across the production ecosystem, higher costs and less choice for audiences in the US and around the world,” say the signatories.
Long shrugged off as “just the way things are” in show business, these power imbalances are set to further centralise, if the deal goes through. But at least it won’t go without the Hollywood studios’ board rooms being called out loudly on the streets.
By Manpriya Singh
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