Movie stars make millions, but many working actors struggle to make ends meet, an issue that has become more acute thanks to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. While union members fight hollywood studios for fair contractsone of the world’s most famous entertainers shares some of his good fortune.
According to a report in Variety, Dwayne The Rock Johnson made a “seven-figure donation,“Exact amount not disclosed, to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation (“a non-profit organization associated with, but not part of, the union”), responding to an appeal sent to 2,700 of the guild’s highest-paid members to help offset financial hardship caused by the strike. (The union has 160,000 members in total, depending on the trade, so you can see how lopsided the scales are.)
“We rely on donations and grants to provide services,” the group’s executive director, Cyd Wilson, told Variety, noting that the group has also reached out to its most financially solvent members for help during the pandemic. “But when we’re going through a crisis like this and we’re going to spend millions and millions of dollars in financial aid, that’s when we need our top talent who can afford it, who is able to help others.”
Wilson added, “This is the largest donation we have ever received from one individual at a time. And what’s amazing is that just one check will help thousands of actors keep food on their tables, keep their kids safe, and keep their cars running. And I don’t lose sight that he’s very humble about it, but it’s a way to help us get started.
Head toward Variety to read the full interview with Wilson and SAG-AFTRA Foundation President Courtney B. Vance, and we hope other deep-pocketed actors will step in to help others in their industry.
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