Parks and Rec Cast Reunite at Actors’ Strike Picket Line, Including Li’l Sebastian

Li’l Sebastian lives and he’s on the picket line.

Last month, the actor’s guild SAG-AFTRA officially went on strike, following in the footsteps of the WGA. Their negotiations with the AMPTP broke down with no deal in place, which means most film and television productions have halted. Many actors have been seen on the picket lines, which has resulted in some cast reunions. A new photo hit the Internet today that features many members of the Parks and Recreation cast, including Li’l Sebastian (he lives!). The also photo features Jim O’Heir, Adam Scott, Aubrey Plaza, Sam Elliot, Ben Schwartz, Alison Becker, and more. 

“PARKS AND REC REUNION AT THE STRIKE!! MY FAMILY!! #WGASTRONG,” one fan shared on Twitter. The best picket sign of the bunch is definitely Plaza’s, which reads, “Ann Perkins works for the AMPTP.” Of course, Ann is the character played by Rashida Jones, and Plaza’s April Ludgate lived to make fun of her. You can check out the photo below:

Why Is SAG-AFTRA Striking?

In a statement tied to the strike announcement, SAG-AFTRA representatives revealed that the strike is commencing after four weeks of negotiations with the AMPTP, and an existing negotiation extension from June 30th to July 12th. Back in May, SAG-AFTRA’s national board unanimously agreed to send an authorization vote to members, with and 97.91 percent of members ultimately voting in favor of authorization.

“Yesterday our union celebrated the 90th anniversary of the incorporation of Screen Actors Guild,” Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator, said during a press conference. “During our nearly century-long existence we’ve fought for and achieved countless gains for working actors. Today, we embark on a new important chapter in our unions history. Earlier this morning, the SAG-AFTRA national board convened following four weeks of negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television producers in a meeting, because AMPTP remains unwilling to offer a fair deal on key issues essential to protecting the livelihoods of working actors and performers. SAG AFTRA as national board unanimously voted to issue a strike order against the studios and streamers.”

Aubrey Plaza Joins the MCU:

The cast list for Agatha: Coven of Chaos is an exciting one, and one of the biggest surprises has been the addition of Parks and Rec star, Aubrey Plaza. Plaza will be joining Kathryn Hahn in the Marvel series as well as WandaVision’s Emma Caulfield, Heartstopper’s Joe Locke, SNL alum Sasheer Zamata, comedian Eric Andre, Billions’ Ali Ahn, and The Staircases’ Maria Dizzia. After the news of Plaza’s involvement was revealed, the star spoke with Backstage about joining the series, and how she’s excited to work with Hahn again. 

“Agatha: Coven of Chaos, I haven’t talked about it yet. It’s a fun character,” Plaza teased. “I’ll just say, speaking of manifestations… it’s all coming together for me with this part. Kathryn Hahn, she’s a friend of mine; I’ve known her for years. We shared a couple moments onscreen in Parks and Recreation 10 years ago, but I’ve never gotten to work with her, really. She’s one of the most incredible actresses that’s working today. She’s a friend of mine. She speaks my language. To be able to get onscreen with her and go toe-to-toe with her is what’s driving me. I think it’s cool that it’s Marvel and all that, but I’m really just interested to work with Kathryn Hahn.”

Stay tuned for more updates about the WGA and SAG strikes.