Hollywood Stars Who’ve Donated $1M+ Each To Support Actors Strike Revealed: Jackman, DiCaprio, Oprah & More-TGN

Summary

• A-list actors like George Clooney, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Meryl Streep have generously donated $1 million or more to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s Emergency Assistance Program.

• The donations will provide financial support to entertainment professionals who are currently without income because of the strike, helping them with essential expenses such as rent and food.

• This solidarity among actors demonstrates their commitment to securing fair compensation, reasonable streaming residuals, and regulation of artificial intelligence in the entertainment industry.

A-list actors have donated large sums to entertainment professionals during the SAG-AFTRA strike. The Screen Actors Guild went on strike beginning July 14, when negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) stalled and failed to produce a new contract that secured fair compensation, reasonable streaming residuals, and regulation of AI. This was followed by actors joining the picket lines alongside the Writers Guild of America (WGA), who have been on strike since May 2 while facing similar issues with the AMPTP.

Related: What Happened The Last Time SAG & WGA Went On Strike Together 63 Years Ago

Per TheWrap, quite a few A-list stars have donated $1 million or more to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s Emergency Assistance Program. This helps distribute money to performers who are temporarily without income due to struck productions, allowing them to pay for rent, food, and any other necessary expenses. The stars who have donated to the fund at the million dollar level include George and Amal Clooney, Luciana and Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Furness, Dwayne Johnson, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, Julia Roberts, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Meryl Streep, and Oprah Winfrey.

The SAG-AFTRA Strike Affects Actors At All Levels

The SAG-AFTRA strike is working to secure a better deal for actors across the board. However, there are many actors involved who are in more dire straits because of the strike than the marquee stars of big budget movies. These donations show that A-listers are striking in solidarity with those at all levels, rather than just for their own needs.

In addition to members of SAG-AFTRA who aren’t on million dollar productions, many actors in big projects have revealed surprisingly low salaries, especially in the streaming sphere. This includes Orange is the New Black cast members Matt McGorry and Beth Dover. In fact, Dover revealed that it cost her money to appear in the popular Netflix series, which she joined in season 4.

There is currently no telling how long the SAG-AFTRA strike will go on. While the AMPTP recently made a move to reopen negotiations with the WGA, both strikes could still continue for several weeks or months yet. With performers’ futures up in the air, it was necessary for those at the top to help those at the bottom fight alongside them.

Source: TheWrap