SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) has launched a strike for better pay, and health benefits, and against the usage of AI clones of actors in the entertainment industry, since July 13, 2023, putting a halt on TV and movie productions in Hollywood.
The actors have now revealed the shockingly low pay they received for the mega-hit show they appeared in, reports Hindustan Times.
They joined Writer Guild of America, who are already on strike at the picket line outside Netflix in Los Angeles. Fellow actors and writers’ unions all around the globe have expressed their support for the strike.
This is the first time in 63 years that an industry-wide walkout of actors and writers has effectively put a break on the giant movie and television business.
Actress Kimiko Glenn, who portrayed inmate Brook Soso in the Orange is the New Black hit series revealed that she only got a pay of $27.30 for acting in 45 episodes of the show.
Matt McGorry, known for his role of prison guard Joh Bennett on the same show lamented that he kept his daytime job the entire time he acted for the show because that paid better than acting.
Many more actors have tried to quash the myth that actors are wealthy individuals seeking greater fortunes.
Lukre Cook set the record straight by saying that most SAG actors are unable to afford basic living with their pay scale. He revealed that his earnings for a supporting role in Hulu’s Dollface was only $7500.
SAG-AFTRA seems hopeful that their demands will be heard as the strike gains momentum.
