Los Angeles - Hollywood actors will boycott this month's Golden Globe Awards in a show of support for striking writers, the actors union said on Friday, dealing a blow to the glittering red carpet extravaganza.
Screen Actors Guild (SAG) President Alan Rosenberg said in a statement there was "unanimous agreement" among actors not to cross picket lines set up by writers locked in a bitter dispute with film and television producers.
Rosenberg said the boycott would cover all nominees up for acting awards in the January 13 event, regarded as the second most important awards show in Hollywood after the Oscars. It would also cover stars acting as presenters.
The decision means that nominated A-listers such as Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks and George Clooney are all likely to steer clear of the Globes, greatly diminishing one of the highlights of Hollywood's awards season.
"After considerable outreach to Golden Globe actor nominees and their representatives over the past several weeks, there appears to be unanimous agreement that these actors will not cross WGA picket lines to appear on the Golden Globe Awards as acceptors or presenters," Rosenberg said.
"We applaud our members for this remarkable show of solidarity for striking Writers Guild of America (WGA) writers."
The head of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), which runs the Golden Globes, said the organisation remained optimistic of reaching a deal with the writers which would allow the show to go on.
"The HFPA has been placed in an extremely difficult position with the ongoing Writers Guild strike," HFPA president Jorge Camara said in a statement.
"We are making every effort to work out a solution that will permit the Golden Globes to take place with the creative community present to participate. We hope to announce a resolution to this unfortunate predicament on Monday."
Hollywood screenwriters have been on strike since November 5 after the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) failed to agree terms for a new contract that expired in October.
Negotiations have foundered over the writers' demands for an increased share of profits from Internet and new media sales.
The two-month strike has forced the suspension of numerous television series as well as the postponement of work on several Hollywood films.
Hollywood has been abuzz with speculation in recent weeks over how the strike may impact the myriad awards shows leading up to and including the Oscars on February 24.
The WGA confirmed on Wednesday that the writers union would erect picket lines around the Golden Globes venue at the Beverly Hilton hotel, appearing to rule out any agreement with the show's producers, Dick Clark Productions, allowing for a temporary waiver.
"Dick Clark Productions is a struck company. As previously announced, the Writers Guild will be picketing the Golden Globe Awards," the WGA said.
The writers union had already announced last month that it would not allow guild members to take part at both the Golden Globes and the Oscars.
The prospect of stars having to cross picket lines before they venture onto the Globes red carpet had been unnerving celebrities caught in the crossfire of the acrimonious dispute.
David Cronenberg, the director of gangster drama Eastern Promises, which has been nominated for best picture at the Golden Globes, said last month he would be uncomfortable breaking ranks with writers.
"It would be very hard for me to cross a WGA picket line," said Cronenberg, a longstanding member of the WGA. "Everybody will have the same problem," he told Daily Variety.
The Los Angeles Times' theenvelope.com has reported that Globes organisers may cancel the televised broadcast of the event if writers picketed in an effort to prevent a public relations disaster.