George Clooney, Meryl Streep and other Hollywood A-listers donate $15m to striking actors
- A group of Hollywood’s best-paid stars have donated at least $1 million each to support the SAG-AFRA strikes
- George Clooney, Leonardo DiCaprio, Oprah Winfrey and Meryl Streep are among the A-listers helping their out-of-work colleagues
- READ MORE: What blockbuster movies are now set to be delayed indefinitely as a result of the actors’ strike?
Hollywood’s best-paid stars will foot the bill for their out-of-work colleagues as the actors’ strike stretches into its fourth week, as the union’s charitable foundation announced Wednesday it has raised over $15 million in the last three weeks.
A-listers including George Clooney, Meryl Streep and Oprah Winfrey were among over a dozen celebrities to donate at least $1 million each to support the strikes.
The start of the actors’ strike in July came on top of another strike by film and TV writers that began in May over pay and the threat of artificial intelligence, which have ground US film and television production to a halt.
The Hollywood ‘double strike’ of writers and actors – the first since 1960 – has cost the entertainment industry and the California economy several million dollars per day, as well as costing the striking unionists their paychecks.
But a group of wealthy celebs, many of whom rake in upwards of $15 million per movie, have stepped up for their struggling co-stars.
The other big names who contributed at least $1 million include Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Hugh Jackman, Ryan Reynolds, Nicole Kidman and Julia Roberts.
George Clooney and Meryl Streep (pictured March 2015) have each parted with upwards of $1 million to support the ongoing strike action
SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher joins picketers at New York City Hall as members of the actors’ union continue to walk the picket line with screenwriters
The nonprofit foundation has raised more than $15 million in the past three weeks to aid ‘thousands of journeymen actors’ facing economic hardship, it said in a statement.
‘The entertainment industry is in crisis and the SAG-AFTRA Foundation is currently processing more than 30 times our usual number of applications for emergency aid,’ Courtney B. Vance, the foundation’s president, said in the statement.
The organization’s aid program is meant to ‘ensure that performers in need don’t lose their homes, have the ability to pay for utilities, buy food for their families, purchase life-saving prescriptions, cover medical bills and more,’ Vance said.
The picket lines have become tourist attractions as famous faces such as Jason Sudeikis (pictured July 14) show their support
Despite the headline-grabbing salaries of the industry’s best earners, SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher said this week that 86 percent of the union’s 160,000 members earn less than $26,500 a year, The New York Times reported.
The strikes have seen movie productions shut down, glitzy premieres scrapped, and events such as the Emmys delayed as stars are banned from promoting TV shows.
Several major blockbusters have also been halted mid-production, including a Beetlejuice remake, Ariana Grande’s Wicked, and Deadpool 3.
The unions’ demands have focused on higher pay in the streaming era and the threat posed to members’ careers and future livelihoods by artificial intelligence, with Drescher admitting last month she fears striking actors could be replaced by robots.
But while the strike action has gained industry-wide support and endorsements from Hollywood stars, studios say they must cut costs to cope with economic pressures.
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) walkout has seen a fleet of A-listers join the picket lines in recent weeks, turning the streets of Tinseltown and New York into must-see tourist attractions.
Leonardo DiCaprio (pictured May 2023) is among around a dozen stars who have donated over $1 million to the actors’ strike
Oprah Winfrey (pictured June 2023) joined her opulent pals as she donated over a million dollars to the SAG-AFRA strikes
Meryl Streep raked in $800K per episode for her turn on Big Little Lies, but she parted ways with her dough to show solidarity with the strikes
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson was paid $50 million for his latest movie ‘Red One’, and in 2022 he made a reported $270 million
Julia Roberts, whose films have collectively grossed over $3.9 billion worldwide, donated part of her fortune to the SAG-AFRA strikes
The wave of donations has come as a welcome boost to the strikes, however its $25 million haul pales in comparison to the stunning salaries commanded by its contributors.
Hollywood’s best paid actor, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, was paid a staggering $50 million for his latest film, Red One, according to The Direct, and took home an industry-leading $270 million in 2022.
And for his role in Christopher Nolan’s summer hit Oppenheimer, Matt Damon made a reported $4 million, rumored to be less than his regular fee.
Three-time Academy Award winner Meryl Streep boasts a net worth of $160 million, thanks to recent roles including a reported $800,000-an-episode turn on HBO’s Big Little Lies, and she was rumored to be paid $3 million for Mamma Mia 2.
In remarks included in the union’s statement, Streep recalled her days as a struggling actress as the motivation for her huge donation.
‘I remember my days as a waiter, cleaner, typist, even my time on the unemployment line. In this strike action, I am lucky to be able to support those who will struggle in a long action to sustain against Goliath.
‘We will stand strong together against these powerful corporations who are bent on taking the humanity, the human dignity, even the human out of our profession.
‘I am proudest of my fellow actors who have immediately offered to fund the Emergency Financial Assistance Program.’
Stars including Adam Sandler and Ben Stiller (pictured August 2, 2023) have joined the strikes
Rosario Dawson shows her support for the SAG-AFRA and WGA strike outside Fox Studio in Los Angeles, California on July 14, 2023
Olivia Wilde (left) and John Oliver (right) have also shown their support for the strikes in person. The two are pictured in New York on July 14 and July 27 respectively
Clooney also praised the actors’ strike in remarks in the SAG-AFRA statement, as he added to Streep’s remarks by noting: ‘We stand ready to get back to the table and make a fair deal with the AMPTP. Until then, I’m proud to be able to support the SAG-AFTRA Foundation and my fellow actors who may be struggling in this historic moment.
‘We’ve stood on the shoulders of the likes of Bette Davis and Jimmy Cagney and it’s time for our generation to give something back.
‘I can’t thank Courtney enough for his determination in putting this effort together by shedding light on the human toll happening right now, and how we can work together to alleviate some of the pain and suffering.’
The writers’ union appears poised to return to talks on Friday, but actors remain at an impasse with major firms such as Netflix and Disney, which are represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
‘We have not heard from the AMPTP since July 12 when they told us they would not be willing to continue talks for quite some’ time, SAG-AFTRA chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland told trade outlet Deadline this week.
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