Hollywood actors agree to federal mediation with strike threat looming

With contract talks stalled and the possibility of a strike inching closer, the union representing Hollywood actors announced late Tuesday that it had agreed to the studios' request for federal mediation to try to bridge the divide.

SAG-AFTRA, which represents thousands of actors in film and television, said that it had agreed to a "last-minute request for federal mediation" from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the group that represents all major Hollywood studios.

"We are committed to the negotiating process and will explore and exhaust every possible opportunity to make a deal, however we are not confident that the employers have any intention of bargaining toward an agreement," SAG-AFTRA said in a statement.