Amid the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, Luke Cook offered a candid glimpse into how much he earned as an actor over the years.
“So, SAG actors are going on strike, what does that mean? My name is Luke Cook — I am an actor from The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Katy Keene, Dynasty, Dollface and I am not a millionaire,” Cook, 36. explained in a TikTok video posted on Friday, July 14. “I drive a 2010 Mazda and my previous car was a 2006 Ford Taurus. 95 percent of people in SAG cannot make a living from acting, they have to have side hustles. I am one of those actors.”
He continued: “The actors who you are thinking of — who are the millionaires — are usually series regulars or A-listers in big movies. The actors who surround them though are actors like myself — guest stars, costars, etc. We are paid chips.”
As an example, Cook broke down his income for playing Fender in four episodes of Hulu’s Dollface. “I did a show called Dollface last year and they put me on a billboard on Sunset [Boulevard]. Do you know how much they paid me to be on the billboard? Zero [dollars],” he said. “The amount they paid me to be on the show was not much better.”
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Cook, who shares two kids with wife Kara Wilson, also noted that he doesn’t see most of his paycheck, adding, “I get paid per episode which is two weeks of work [and it came out to] $7,500. Then it is taxed and a manager takes 10 percent, an agent takes 10 percent and a lawyer takes 5 percent. I am one line below a series regular who is maybe making $100,000, sometimes per episode. They are very wealthy and they are worth it.”
The S.W.A.T. alum went on to show his support for the SAG-AFTRA union.
“Huge portion of this strike is about people like me who need to be paid more for the work that they do and let them have a portion of the profits that these big streamers are bringing it. So, this discussion isn’t about millionaires,” he continued. “As I said, 90 percent of the union can’t make enough money to live just be doing this job. … As someone who always has a side job, I think it would be great to get paid better money to be on your favorite shows. That seems fair to me. Like if you see me on TV, I shouldn’t have to have two side jobs just in order to survive.”
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Earlier this month, SAG-AFTRA authorized a strike after the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) did not address any of their concerns regarding fair wages, the use of artificial intelligence and more issues during contract negotiations.
The decision came two months after the Writers Guild of America announced their own strike over a labor dispute with the AMPTP — the organization that represents major networks such as Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Discovery-Warner, NBC Universal, Paramount and Sony.
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After sharing a breakdown of his wages, Cook clapped back at a comment that claimed he was lying.
“I have been caught. I am a millionaire. Some genius looked up my net worth on Google. I have done some recurring guest star [roles] and I am now a millionaire,” he quipped during a second video which he posted on Sunday, July 16. “If you think I am a millionaire, get up at 5 A.M. on Monday morning and come to my fitness classes and ask yourself as I am teaching, ‘I can’t believe he is teaching fitness. $5 million dollars and he is still teaching classes for $50 each.’ That way you convinced yourself that I am a millionaire who works three jobs for no reason.”
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