Why Anne Hathaway walked out of 'Vanity Fair' photoshoot? Explained
In an unexpected twist, Anne Hathaway walked out of a Vanity Fair cover shoot on Tuesday (local time). This came after members of her union—SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists)—staged a one-day walkout in support of Condé Nast staffers. Approximately 400 unionized Condé Nast employees—including those from Vogue, GQ, and VF—participated in the walkout, following the announcement of staff layoffs.
Why does this story matter?
Condé Nast owns multiple publications including VF, Vogue, GQ, Allure, Glamour, and Teen Vogue. Last week, its employees hinted at a 24-hour walkout after the merger of Pitchfork with men's magazine GQ, resulting in significant layoffs—including the exit of Pitchfork's editor-in-chief, Puja Patel. The shakeup followed Roger Lynch's (Condé Nast's CEO) announcement in November to lay off over 300 employees to prioritize cost reductions.
Here's what exactly happened
Page Six reported that The Devil Wears Prada star was still in hair and makeup when she abruptly halted the photoshoot session. She was reportedly unaware that nearly all Condé Nast union members had walked out of the company's New York headquarters shortly before her arrival. However, when SAG-AFTRA members joined Condé Nast picketers, Hathaway promptly left in solidarity.
Union expressed gratitude using 'The Devil Wears Prada' reference
The union's X/Twitter account expressed gratitude to Hathaway for supporting them, stating, "If Runway had a union, The Devil Wears Prada would've been 30 seconds long." This message was in reference to Hathaway's 2006 fashion film in which she portrayed Andy Sachs, and the character Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep)—loosely inspired by Anna Wintour (editor-in-chief of Vogue)—was the cutthroat boss at the fictional Runway magazine.
Here's the post by the union
Condé Nast's rally coincided with Academy Awards nominations
The Condé Nast union staged a rally with signs declaring, "Layoffs are out of fashion." The group specially targeted Wintour after Condé promoted her from the editor of Vogue US to Chief Content Officer, Worldwide, as part of the restructuring on Tuesday. Their walkout coincided with the 2024 Oscar nominees's announcement, emphasizing Condé Nast's reliance on union members for covering major events.
Hathaway will reschedule the shoot: Report
Following Hathaway's exit, SAG-AFTRA's national executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland issued a statement expressing support for the Condé Nast workers. Notably, SAG-AFTRA, the labor union that represents more than 1.6 lakh film and TV stars, went on a now-resolved strike last July, joining WGA (Writers Guild of America) which went on strike in May. Now, Hathaway will reportedly reschedule the shoot for another day.
