2023-08-04 05:29:00
In Hollywood, we don’t mess with strike funds. A dozen of the world’s most famous and wealthy movie and showbiz stars have each donated a million dollars or more to support striking American actors.
They went on strike in mid-July to demand better pay and guarantees regarding the use of artificial intelligence. A mobilization which joins that started at the beginning of May by the screenwriters, and which has not been seen since 1960.
Across the Atlantic, some actors are extremely well paid. But 86% of the 160,000 members of the actors guild (SAG-AFTRA) earn less than 26,500 dollars (24,000 euros) a year, according to figures given by the president of the union, Fran Drescher, quoted by the New York Times .
Almost all production stopped
Celebrities who have contributed $1 million (920,000 euros) or more to the Actors Guild Relief Fund include George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Dwayne Johnson, Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts or Oprah Winfrey. The foundation that manages the fund said it had raised a total of more than $15 million (€13.7 million) in the past three weeks.
This money is intended for thousands of “daytime actors”, in financial difficulty for lack of filming. Because due to the double social movement in progress, almost all film and series productions are stopped in the United States.
“The entertainment industry is in crisis and the SAG-AFTRA Foundation is currently processing 30 times more requests for emergency assistance than usual,” said the president of this non-profit foundation, Courtney Vance. This assistance aims to ensure that “actors in need do not lose their homes, can pay their expenses, buy food for their families, obtain life-saving medicines, pay their doctor’s bills and much more” , he adds.
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