Hollywood strikes have affected the livelihoods of hair stylists and makeup artists
hair stylist in Hollywood — but even through the good times, she never gave up her backup plan. Until the pandemic. «I had a salon where I could work if I had to, and I closed it,» she said.
«So now I don't even have that.» Kimble and a world of Hollywood hair stylists, makeup artists and manicurists have been idled by the actors and screenwriters strikes, in an era of declining rates as they were still rebuilding their livelihoods from the painful months of the coronavirus shutdowns. They aren't alone, of course, as writers and actors walk picket lines in their contract disputes with studios and streaming services. Crew and support staff on all sides of the entertainment equation — production, promotion, assistants — are also out of work from coast to coast.
«For three, four, five months before the writers went out, studios weren't willing to greenlight projects, so many of us have been unemployed for a lot longer,» said Linda Dowds, a Los Angeles-based makeup artist in her 60s who has worked in film and television since 1987. The writers went on strike May 2; the actors followed July 14. It's unclear how long the strikes will last.
In more than a dozen interviews, specialists in wardrobe, hair, makeup and nails said they feared losing homes and health insurance as they scurry for pivots. Even if the studios and streamers reach agreements with the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA sooner rather than later, it will take weeks for productions to ramp back up. Dowds, who shared an Oscar for her work on 'The Eyes of Tammy Faye,' said she's in a «heightened state of anxiety» over the strikes.
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