Hollywood’s A-listers including Cillian Murphy and Ewan McGregor are flogging their signatures amid the strike crippling the film business.
They will charge fans hundreds of pounds a pop for personally signed pictures when they turn up at this month’s New York Comic Con.
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But in order not to break picket line rules laid down by their union, they must not sign anything of them in character appearing in films covered by the walk-out.
Trainspotting star Ewan, 52, is charging £201 apiece for his autograph.
Signed merchandise from Oppenheimer and Peaky Blinders actor Cillian, 47, is £161 each.
(Image: PA)
Doctor Who star Matt Smith, 40, will be charging £113 per signature when he turns up at the event.
Rita Ora’s husband Taika Waititi, 48, will be charging £141.
Oscar-winning Cate Blanchett, 54, completed a special signing by post for fans last week.
The SWAU company that organised it says it is getting ready to start shipping the posters and snaps she signed this week to those who requested them.
An ad for Star Wars actor Ewan’s upcoming appearance in New York, also organised by the SWAU firm, said: “SWAU is proud to offer an exclusive autograph signing and appearance opportunity with Ewan McGregor at New York Comic Con presented by ReedPop!
“Pre-order your officially licensed collectible or send in your own item! All items will be affixed with our SWAU Hologram free of charge, protecting the value and collectability of your investment for decades to come.”
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Doctor Who’s David Tennant, is also offering his signature for £113 a go.
Other big names charging are Marvel star Chris Evans, 42, whose signature is £221, while Susan Sarandon, 76, is only charging £109 for her autograph.
A source said: “The stars turning up to sign at the Comic Con are some of the biggest names in the business, but even they are hurting over the actors’ walk out.
“They have huge bills to pay, from security to mansion and car upkeep, lawyers, publicists and agents, and none of it comes cheap.
“Thousands of fans paying them hundreds of pounds for a signature is one way to keep the wolves from the door, because everyone still has bills to pay, and their money can go quicker than anyone’s when they have such big teams and no big paydays on the horizon.”
(Image: WireImage)
Actors and writers are striking over issues including the use of AI by studios and the structure of royalties from streamed content.
Their SAG-AFTRA union has laid down strict rules about what its 160,000 striking members can and can’t do during the walk-out.
They are barred from acting, singing, dancing, performing stunts, piloting on-camera aircraft, puppeteering, performance capture or motion capture work.
Actors are allowed to appear at fan events such as Comic Cons for projects such as autograph signing.
Other websites have sprung up amid the strike flogging signatures by the likes of Michelle Pfeiffer, 65, for hundreds of pounds, but it is not known what cut the actors take from the deals.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
