Hollywood’s top actors, including George Clooney, Tyler Perry, Scarlett Johansson and Ben Affleck talk pledge to pump $150million to actors’ union to help end the strike
Hollywood’s top actors, including George Clooney and Emma Stone, have offered to invest $150 million over three years to improve benefits for actors and end the ongoing strike.
The stars were among a quorum of Hollywood’s biggest names, including Scarlett Johansson, Tyler Perry and Ben Affleck, who met with SAG-AFTRA leaders on Tuesday to outline the plans.
They proposed eliminating the cap on membership dues, meaning they would pay an additional $50 million a year, which could be used to fund better health and other benefits the union is working to secure.
“Many of the top earners want to be part of the solution,” Clooney said Deadline.
“We have offered to eliminate the contribution limit, which would save the union more than $50 million annually. More than $150 million over the next three years. We think it is fair that we pay more to the union.’
George Clooney was among a group of top Hollywood actors who offered to inject an additional $150 million over three years into the SAG-AFTRA union as a means to end the strike and help pay for actors’ benefits.
The offer was reportedly made to SAG leaders Fran Drescher (left) and Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, who presented it to the negotiating committee
The stars also proposed a formula where the youngest members on the call sheets would pay the most for any remaining streaming fees.
Residuals are checks that actors and writers receive when a TV show or movie they worked on is rebroadcast.
They have decreased significantly since the advent of streaming, with studios still technically paying fees, but under a different system, meaning the money is much less.
“We also propose a bottom-up residual structure – meaning the top of the call sheet is the last to collect residuals, not the first,” Clooney added.
“These negotiations will still be ongoing, but we wanted to show that we are all in this together and are finding ways to close the gap in terms of actors getting paid.”
But not all union members have responded positively to the proposals.
Julie Benson, who has written for Star Trek and He-Man, said, “If the A-listers really want to help, maybe they can provide food trucks to the picket lines (thanks to the Showrunners who keep delivering), or better yet, show up and choose their union. I’m glad they’re trying to do something, but take the fight to the studios where it belongs.”
The stars want to eliminate the SAG-AFTRA cap on membership fees so that high earners would pay more and the money could be used to ensure better health and other benefits the union is seeking
The actors have proposed a formula where the youngest cast members would be paid first when it comes to any remaining payments earned as a result of streaming TV or movies.
Chicago Fire and Fresh of the Boat actor Mike Pusateri supported Benson: “I agree with this 10,000,000 percent.
‘If the A-listers really want to help us and them, they can turn to a picket line! We would get the deal we deserve and our strike would be over by Halloween.”
The offer was reportedly made to SAG leaders Fran Drescher and Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, who presented it to the negotiating committee last night.
It comes as the strike looks set to surpass the 100-day mark, with SAG-AFTRA locked in a standoff with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
It is hoped the offer of a cash injection will reignite negotiations after the studios halted discussions earlier this month.
It appears the strike will pass the 100-day mark, with SAG-AFTRA in a standoff with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
Actors Jeri Ryan and Jonathan Del Arco walk among SAG AFTRA members at the picket line outside Warner Brothers in Burbank, California, on October 3.
Studio bosses said the SAG-AFTRA proposal of an additional $800 million a year meant “the gap is too big.”
Experts have now warned that Christmas TV and film projects for this year could be in jeopardy.
Entertainment reporter Stephanie Aly told the BBC that the projects are unlikely to be “saved” in time for the holiday season.
She said: ‘There was hope that if they could get the actors back from the strike at the end of this month, we might be able to salvage some of the 2023/2024 television season, as well as some upcoming film releases.
“But with the studios walking away from negotiations, it appears we may not be able to salvage anything from the television season and the 2024 releases could end up being pushed back to 2025.”
Actors seen on the picket lines include Jessica Chastain, Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge and Edward James Olmos.
But actress and TV host Drew Barrymore was recently criticized for announcing her show would return before the writers’ strike ended.
She quickly reversed the decision, after which her writers refused to back down.