LOS ANGELES — It’s a moment that’s been looming for weeks. SAG-AFTRA, the union that represents actors and other performers, officially called a strike after not being able to reach a deal with the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers.

“The studios didn’t realize that SAG-AFTRA and the WGA, we’re not gonna be pitted against each other,” said actor and massage therapist Jon Long, who has been at the picket lines offering massages to union members and supporting the Writers Guild Association and now, SAG-AFTRA’s call for fair wages, residuals and protections from AI.