The Haunted Mansion red carpet premiere offered a bleak glimpse at what the next few months in Hollywood could look like if the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes carry on.

Disney theme park characters — including Maleficent, Mickey, Minnie Mouse and others — walked the red carpet premiere of Haunted Mansion on Saturday (July 15) instead of the film’s actors, who skipped the premiere per the union’s strike stipulations.

Director Justin Simien addressed their absence, telling Variety that he was “sad” the cast couldn’t join him at the Disneyland red carpet.

“If they can’t be here to speak for it, I felt like I had to be here to speak for it,” he said. “It’s sad that they’re not here, at the same time, I totally support the reason why they’re not here. And I’m happy to be the one to ring the bell in their stead.”

The guidelines implemented by SAG prohibit members from participating in any on-camera work as well as any promotional activity, such as premieres, interviews, award shows and podcasts, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The Disney theme park characters who attended instead posed for pictures with fans. Guests and influencers in attendance also got private access to try out the Haunted Mansion ride.

THR reported that much of the Disney film’s cast was initially scheduled to attend the premiere, including Tiffany Haddish, Jamie Lee Curtis, Danny DeVito and Dan Levy, amongst others.

Simien later told THR that he felt “very ambivalent” about his film debuting at a red carpet without its stars, adding, “But at the same time, I’m just so proud of this cast and I’m so, so proud of Katie Dippold who wrote the script, and so much of why I did this was to honor her words and to honor their work.” 

Dippold, who wrote the new film based on the Disneyland rollercoaster, was not in attendance.

Haunted Mansion‘s red carpet premiere marked the first major Hollywood event that has been impacted by the SAG-AFTRA strike, which began last Thursday after the actors union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers failed to reach an agreement.

The AMPTP, which represents a number of major studios and streamers, said the deal they offered included “historic pay and residual increases, substantially higher caps on pension and health contributions, audition protections, shortened series option periods, and a groundbreaking AI proposal that protects actors’ digital likenesses.”

But, according to SAG president Fran Drescher of The Nanny fame, the alliance had been “insulting and disrespectful” regarding the union’s “most important” issues.

Haunted Mansion premieres July 28.