Anne Hathaway walks off Vanity Fair photoshoot set amid staff strike
Anne Hathaway left the set of a Vanity Fair photo shoot before her hair and makeup were finished - and many are applauding the move.
The Oscar-winning actress was getting ready for the shoot at the magazine’s New York office this week when she heard of the Condé Nast Union walkout which was about to take place.
About 400 people employed across Condé Nast brands - from Vogue to Vanity Fair and GQ - announced they would halt work for 24 hours after the company fired 5 per cent of their staff.
When Hathaway heard of the halt, which hundreds of workers took part in outside the One World Trade Centre offices yesterday, the actress followed suit and walked out, according to Variety.
“They hadn’t even started taking photos yet,” a source told the publication.
“Once Anne was made aware of what was going on, she just got up from hair and makeup and left.”
Since then, Hathaway has been applauded for supporting affected workers, with many comparing her actions to those of her The Devil Wears Prada character Andie, who chooses to leave her dream magazine job.
The walkout came on the same day the 2024 Oscar nominations were revealed - a big day for many news sites.
Union The NewsGuild of New York, which represents Condé Nast workers, said staff members were taking a stand against the company’s “unlawful bargaining tactics during layoff negotiations”.
CEO Roger Lynch first announced the job cuts last November and NewsGuild soon filed a charge of unfair labour practice, claiming labour laws had been violated as employees’ layoff benefits had been reduced.
The staffing changes came into effect last week when several Pitchfork writers were let go, with the publication folded into men’s magazine GQ.
CCO Anna Wintour revealed to employees in a memo at the time, “Today we are evolving our Pitchfork team structure by bringing the team into the GQ organisation.
“This decision was made after a careful evaluation of Pitchfork’s performance and what we believe is the best path forward for the brand so that our coverage of music can continue to thrive within the company.”