Writers strike interrupts filming of Netflix show ‘The Perfect Couple’ on Cape Cod

“It’s amazing what a handful of picketers can do.”

Protesters supporting the Hollywood writers' strike march in a picket line outside an entrance to Boston University commencement ceremonies, Sunday, May 21, 2023, in Boston. David Zaslav, president and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, delivered an address during ceremonies Sunday. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)Steven Senne/Associated Press

The “The Perfect Couple,” a new Netflix series starring Nicole Kidman and Liev Schreiber, has been filming on Cape Cod since early May, with plans to wrap the first week of July.

But the ongoing writers strike could change that.

Members of the Writers Guild of America formed picket lines Tuesday at two production sites on Cape Cod — one in Chatham and the other in Harwich — disrupting filming for the day, a spokesperson for WGA East confirmed. The spokesperson said the guild would continue to picket the show’s production and “all WGA covered films and series being produced.”

Picketers reportedly prevented equipment from being delivered for the six-episode series, which is based on the novel by best-selling author Elin Hilderbrand, and made loud noises from boats in the background of shots, according to the Cape Cod Times.

Members of the WGA have been on strike since May 2, halting productions across the country from Los Angeles to New York. It’s the first Hollywood strike in 15 years, and writers are protesting for better wages and job security, among other demands. But the strike now appears to be disrupting New England-based productions.

Last Wednesday, members of the WGA also disrupted production of “Good Burger 2,” starring Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell, the WGA confirmed. The sequel to the 1997 film is being shot in Rhode Island, where the stars recently greeted fans.

Boston-based independent filmmaker and actor Samantha Valletta, 30, said there were only about three to five picketers on the picket line on Cape Cod on Tuesday, “but it’s amazing what a handful of picketers can do.”

Valletta noted how the Screen Actors Guild could soon join the WGA on strike. The union representing actors has until June 30 to produce a satisfactory agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

Other films currently in production statewide include “Blue Hawaii,” “Barron’s Cove,” “Isle Child,” and “Birth Right,” according to the Massachusetts Film Office.