Plot twist in union talks: stars vs. stars

Some actors are lining up behind Tom Hanks. Others are backing Jack Nicholson.

No, this is not an Oscar race. It's the campaign over a new contract for Hollywood actors, and the two movie stars are on opposing sides regarding what to do about it.

Welcome to the civil war that has turned Hollywood upside down and is fast diminishing the prospects of a peaceful resolution between actors and studios.

With the entertainment industry's major contract with actors set to expire at midnight, Hollywood is bracing for its second period of labor unrest this year. But this time the turmoil is exacerbated by an ugly family feud that is pitting actor against actor.

In recent weeks the dominant actors union, the Screen Actors Guild, has mounted a highly unusual campaign to scuttle a new agreement negotiated by the smaller American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. The effort -- targeted at 44,000 members who belong to both unions -- has split the ranks of actors, with stars lining up on opposite sides as their leaders trade daily barbs in e-mail blasts to their members.

"I've never seen anything like this," said former SAG President Richard Masur, who is a member of SAG's national board. He called his union's campaign "incredibly divisive."

Masur is among more than 600 actors including Hanks, Susan Sarandon, Kevin Spacey and Alec Baldwin who recently signed a letter in support of the AFTRA accord, which they describe as a good agreement. "If this deal doesn't pass it will take us to a place from which we may not recover," the actors warned.

SAG, however, has lined up its share of high-profile backers, including Nicholson, Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen, who delivered a personal message of support posted on the union's website.

"We have right on our side and we ought to support our SAG negotiating team," said Mortensen, a star of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

Then there's a third camp led by George Clooney, who staked out a middle ground by calling on both unions to end their warring and stop "pitting artist against artist."

AFTRA's tentative contract includes pay hikes for actors and is modeled on similar pacts negotiated by writers and directors. But SAG leaders say it doesn't address their bargaining goals, such as increasing the residuals that actors earn from DVD sales, giving them a say in how products are pitched in TV programs and ensuring that all shows created for the Web are covered under the union's contracts.