George Clooney, Dwayne Johnson, Meryl Streep, more donate millions to support striking actors
The funds aim to assist "thousands of journeymen actors" facing financial hardships during this crisis.
A dozen of Hollywood's top-earning stars, including George Clooney and Meryl Streep, have generously donated US$1 million or more to support out-of-work actors during the ongoing strike by the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA).
This strike, along with a concurrent one by film and TV writers, has brought US film and television production to a standstill. The "double strike" has caused significant financial losses for the entertainment industry and the California economy. SAG-AFTRA initiated a strike on July 14 after the film and television contract expired without reaching a new three-year pact with the AMPTP. The studios' and streamers' offer was considered insulting by SAG-AFTRA, while the AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers) claimed that the union rejected a favourable package offer.
Also Read:Stephen Amell clarifies controversial SAG-AFTRA strike comments: I support my union
The SAG-AFTRA Foundation's actors' support fund has received over US$15 million in the last three weeks, with contributions from celebrities like Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts, and Oprah Winfrey.
The funds aim to assist "thousands of journeymen actors" facing financial hardships during this crisis.
The president of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, actor Courtney B Vance, explained that the organisation is currently handling an unprecedented number of emergency aid applications due to the dire situation in the entertainment industry.
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What do the strikers want?
One major point of contention was the general minimum rate increases sought by SAG-AFTRA. The union aimed for an 11 per cent wage boost in the first year of the new contract, followed by 4 per cent in the second and third years. However, the studios and streamers were only willing to offer 5, 4, and 3.5 per cent increases for the three-year agreement.
Another significant disagreement related to regulating generative artificial intelligence. SAG-AFTRA sought comprehensive provisions to protect human-created work and ensure fair compensation for performers when digital replicas or alterations were made using AI. The AMPTP claimed their offer was groundbreaking and protected performers' digital likenesses, requiring their consent for such use.
Other contentious issues included increasing "span" figures, boosting pension and health plan contribution "caps," relocation allowances, meal break penalties, and coverage for performance-capture work under a SAG-AFTRA contract.
While it is a common belief that actors are paid in millions per movie, that is true for only a fraction of them. A vast majority, as much as 86 per cent, cannot scrape together enough to even get health insurance.
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