Jack Haven, the Netflix star who once helmed hit shows like Atypical, had to turn to the internet for their next paycheck.
Sharing a YouTube video with fans, the 32-year-old actor said they are in an “emergency” situation and desperately need money by the end of the month. They said they were willing to do “any job” and pleaded with viewers for help.
After the video went viral, Haven shared another update on their new situation.
Jack Haven, the Netflix star who once helmed hit shows like Atypical, turned to the internet for their next paycheck
Jack Haven shared a video with their 13K subscribers on YouTube last week, saying they were scrambling to land paid work.
The non-binary star, who announced their name change last year, said they needed to raise money to qualify for SAG health insurance.
SAG-AFTRA, short for Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, is the union representing thousands of artists working in the entertainment and media industry in the U.S.
“I’m making this video today because I’m in a bit of an emergency situation. I need to make $4,000 by the end of the month in order to qualify for SAG health insurance starting in January,” Haven said in the video.
The I Saw the TV Glow star pleaded with viewers to connect them with any SAG-production opportunity, as they were willing to do “pretty much any job.”
“I will do pretty much any job,” Haven said in their blunt plea to viewers
“So, I guess what I’m asking is if you or anyone you know can hire me on a SAG production and pay me $4,000, I will do pretty much any job,” they said, before listing out their many capabilities and showcasing their versatility.
“I can sing, I can dance, I can talk softly, loudly, I can do accents. British… So yeah, if you have a job, you can email me,” they added.
Haven’s blunt appeal for work went viral online as fans shared the video to make the clip reach the corners of the internet.
Some also expressed shock over Haven having to beg for work, despite having starred in hit shows and movies like Atypical, I Saw the TV Glow, Bill & Ted Face the Music, and Teenage Se* and De*th at Camp Miasma.
“This is 100% a result of transphobia in the film industry…you deserve to be hired for everything,” one commented online.
“I think it’s insane that you don’t have studios begging to cast you. your work is amazing and i’m excited to see you in more projects in the future! wishing you luck,” another said.
Other stars from the LGBTQIA+ community have also been vocal about similar issues
“Terrible to hear that an actor of your caliber that has been in the kind of projects that you’ve been in is hard pressed for cash,” one commented on social media. “Hope it works out for you!”
They “had a steady career for years before they came out as trans…” said another. “Them, Lilly Wachowski, Jamie Clayton, Elliot Page, Trace Lysette and so many more talented trans creatives who can barely get work nowadays… it’s infuriating.”
Last month, filmmaker Lilly Wachowski said nobody in Hollywood wanted to finance her next $10 million thriller film The Hunted because of its trans representation.
The Matrix director said on The Business podcast, “People like it, but they really don’t want to make it because it’s [got a] wall-to-wall trans cast. I have to get creative and figure out different ways that I can get this in front of people.”
Jamie Clayton, who played Christine Jorgenson in Equal, said trans stars should be allowed to audition for any role.
“The only difference between a trans character and a cis character is that cis characters aren’t bogged down in language and dialogue about their gender identity,” Clayton told Gay Times in 2020. “So in actuality, on any show that you love, any character could be trans if you want them to be.”
Clayton gave examples of characters who could easily be transgender and cited Monica Gellar, her “favorite” from the hit show Friends.
She believed the character, played by Courteney Cox, could have been transgender without any major changes to the rest of the script.
Back in 2018, Clayton shared her thoughts on the controversy surrounding Scarlett Johansson after she accepted the role of a trans man, Dante “Tex” Gill, in Rub & Tug. Johansson had pulled out of playing the Pittsburgh crime boss following immense backlash.
“Actors who are trans never even get to audition FOR ANYTHING OTHER THAN ROLES OF TRANS CHARACTERS,” Clayton tweeted at the time. “THATS THE REAL ISSUE. WE CANT EVEN GET IN THE ROOM. Cast actors WHO ARE TRANS as NON TRANS CHARACTERS. I DARE YOU.”
A few days later, Haven shared an update addressing both the kindness and the hate they received
A few days after Haven shared the plea, they posted a “thank you” video expressing their gratitude to viewers for making the clip go viral.
“I got a lot of offers, So thank you guys,” the actor said.
“Thank you for your love and your kindness. I really feel overwhelmed… I really didn’t expect this many people to see the video.”
They also acknowledged that some viewers responded with “anger and frustration,” asking her to get a “real job.”
Haven said they could understand the sentiment, but that wouldn’t “help with healthcare right now.”
More than a year has passed since the non-binary star said they were changing their name.
“I am changing my name, going by Jack Haven now,” they said in a social media announcement.
They said their chosen name was a nod to their great-great-uncle, Haven Gillespie, the songwriter behind the Christmas hit Santa Clause Is Coming to Town.
He wrote the song “on the subway in 15 minutes,” they wrote. “And first name Jack has stuck.”
The non-binary star said it was really “scary” to tell the world about their identity in a since-deleted post
Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images
The actor came out as queer in 2018 and announced that they were nonbinary the following year.
“Always felt a lil bit boy, lil bit girl, lil bit neither,” they reportedly said in a since-deleted post. “Scary af to come out n been rly putting this off. But I feel I owe it to myself and to all of us who struggle w gender.”
Haven’s viral video came days after Elliot Page expressed their own struggles to get work
Haven’s recent video asking for paid work came days after Elliot Page spoke about looking for jobs.
Page was widely praised for his role in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, in which he played Greek soldier Sinon.
Despite being in one of this year’s highest-grossing films so far, he said he currently didn’t have any acting offers.
During an appearance on On Film…With Kevin McCarthy, the host asked him whether the success of The Odyssey had led to more offers.
“No,” the 39-year-old simply said. “It did not.”
The Canadian actor admitted it was “a little tricky” for him to land roles in big productions for “obvious reasons.”
Elliot Page says he has received NO role offers despite the huge success of “The Odyssey”, and believes being transgender has made it harder for him to get cast as Hollywood still needs to ADAPT 😲
He also opens up about feeling deeply UNCOMFORTABLE while working on Inception… pic.twitter.com/F6voM7vhQx
— Killa 🌺 (@KillaKreww) September 1, 2026
Their comment seemed to be a reference to their trans identity and their openness about undergoing gender-affirming care.
Page said that at the moment, he was searching for new projects, adding: “I’d really love to do ideally good work.”
“Trans actors are having troubling finding any work,” one commented online
