The Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) have been striking together for the first time since 1960.
They are both seeking better pay, streaming residuals, and safeguards against the use of AI technology as the world of streaming continues to dominate the entertainment industry.
Apart from numerous movie and tv show productions being paused, actors walking off red carpets during press tours, and the 2023 Emmy Awards being postponed, the strikes have also revealed the most shocking examples of poor pay on hit shows.
Here is a look at some of the most unexpected ones.
Gilmore Girls
Gilmore Girls actor Sean Gunn, the brother of the esteemed director James Gunn, who played Kirk in the series, has joined the Hollywood protests, revealing the lack of residuals he has been receiving from the continued success of the show.
Talking to The Hollywood Reporter, he shared that he “particularly wanted to come out and protest Netflix” because despite the streaming giant profiting off the show, he is among those who have not been fairly compensated for it.
He explained: “I was on a television show called Gilmore Girls for a long time that has brought in massive profits for Netflix. It has been one of their most popular shows for a very long time, over a decade. It gets streamed over and over and over again, and I see almost none of the revenue that comes into that.”
“You really need to rethink how you do business and share the wealth with people,” Gunn said. “Otherwise, this is all going to come crashing down.”
He later went on Twitter to clarify that, while he is aware that Netflix doesn’t pay residuals directly to actors in their streamed shows, they do pay a licensing fee to Warner Bros who then give a portion of it as residuals.
He added that Netflix’s lack of transparency when it comes to the profits they make from streamed shows means actors cannot be compensated fairly despite shows’ stellar performance.
Lizzie McGuire
Lizzie McGuire actor Robert Carradine recently went on Instagram to share a photo of the residual check he received from Disney Worldwide Services for $0.00 with the caption: “Why we’re striking”.
While the actor didn’t clarify which project the residuals in question were for, the fact that Lizzie McGuire actresses Hillary Duff and Francia Raisa have gone to the picket lines together has led to many concluding that it might be the Lizzie McGuire franchise.
This is Us
This is Us star Mandy Moore has confessed that she has received mere “pennies” from the streaming residuals for the multi-Emmy-winning show.
While at the picket line, Moore told The Hollywood Reporter: “The residual issue is a huge issue. We’re in incredibly fortunate positions as working actors having been on shows that found tremendous success in one way or another… but many actors in our position for years before us were able to live off of residuals or at least pay their bills.”
Moore added that she’s received “very tiny — like 81-cent checks” for starring as the matriarch of the Pearson family, Rebecca, for six seasons. “I was talking with my business manager, who said he’s received a residual for a penny and two pennies.”
Moore isn’t the only one from the show to join the picket line. Fellow leads Chrisst Metz and Jon Huertas have made appearances, too.
Scandal
Scandal actress Katie Lowes, who played a prominent leading role in the hit show for years, shared that she hasn’t received any substantial earnings from Hulu or Disney.
Talking about how streaming has changed how much money actors can make from projects, she explained: “If you are someone who has been fortunate enough in our positions to do 120-plus episodes of a successful show in previous years — 10, 15, 20 years ago — that re-airing would be the thing that could sustain you on years, where I did this smaller project, or I wanted to go do a play, or you have kids and you have a family to provide for.
“And that’s just not a reality anymore. The entire model has changed.”
Lowes was also joined by co-star Guillermo Diaz on the picket line. And, the series’ stars Kerry Washington, Tony Goldwyn and Bellamy Young also went on Instagram to share that they volunteered together to support the labour strike.
Orange Is the New Black
Netflix’s groundbreaking series Orange Is the New Black has kickstarted a new era for the streaming giant.
However, now, actress Kimiko Glenn has revealed that for her role as Brook Soso in 44 episodes, she only made $27.30 (£21.35) in 2020 from streaming residuals.
@itskimiko @The New Yorker released an article the other day describing many of our cast’s experience on #orangeisthenewblack and the details will astound you. go to my IG for the link 💕💕 #sagaftra #sagaftrastrike #sagstrike #sagaftrastrong
♬ original sound - kimiko
She also revealed that she “didn’t get paid very well” when she starred in the show to begin with, and her co-stars in the show “were still bartenders” and “had their second jobs” to make ends meet despite how internationally famous the show was.
The Bear
Alex O’Keefe, who was a writer on the Hulu show The Bear, which has received global praise, has explained that he was severely underpaid for his work.
Talking to the BBC, he shared: “We are finding ourselves unable to survive in places like New York City and Los Angeles, where we need to be to be in writers’ rooms.”
“I wouldn’t classify all writers as being poor or broke but I can say myself I have $6 (£4.81) in my bank account”, he added.
He and his colleagues took home the Best Comedy Series award at the Writers Guild of America Awards for their outstanding work. However, O’Keefe revealed that his friends and family had to buy him the suit he wore to the event and he had to buy a bowtie on credit.
