Meryl Streep & George Clooney Donated $1M Each To Emergency Fund For Striking Actors In Hollywood

Aug 09, 2023 by apost team

The Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, more commonly known as the SAG-AFTRA or Screen Actors Guild, announced on July 13, 2023, that its more than 160,000 members are going on strike. This was after the SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents major production studios and companies in Hollywood, failed to come up with an agreement on a new fair contract for the artists. 

According to an explainer by TODAY, SAG-AFTRA members are fighting for a better and fairer contract to achieve livable pay and working conditions.

Unbeknownst to many, compensation for artists has dwindled throughout the years because of the emergence of streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney+, Paramount+, Hulu and Amazon Prime. In the age of television, actors receive residuals from their acting work if their show or episode is re-aired either because of a special, replay or when it's released on DVD or even on cable television. 

However, because of the age of streaming, artists are compensated at a much lower rate; with some actors revealing they receive only a dollar for months of work in residuals. 

Since actors went on strike, all major productions in the United States and overseas which had members of the guild included were interrupted, in solidarity with the strike. This means that work for everyone, whether one was a leading actor in a movie or a supporting actress in a miniseries, is all afloat. 

On Aug. 2, 2023, the SAG-AFTRA released a statement revealing the top donors of their donation drive. Leading the pack were decorated actors George Clooney and Meryl Streep. Keep on reading to learn more about the strike and the actors who donated to the cause. 

The SAG-AFTRA wasn’t the only entertainment union that went on strike this year. Notably, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) authorized another strike on May 2, 2023, as they, too, have failed to wager a fair contract with the AMPTP. The last time that the SAG-AFTRA and the WGA went on strike together was in 1960. 

“It came with great sadness that we came to this crossroads. But we had no choice. We are the victims here,” SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher said at the time. “We are being victimized by a very greedy entity. I am shocked by the way the people that we have been in business with are treating us. I cannot believe it, quite frankly.”

Various television and film actors like Colin Farrell, Mariska Hargitay, Jennifer Garner, Imelda Staunton, Bette Midler, Susan Sarandon, Ben Stiller, Adam Sandler, Marissa Tomei and even Mandy Patinkin, were all spotted in the picket line. 

The SAG released a Strike Notice and Order – a list of actions that union members are barred from doing for the time being until a new contract is waged. This means that actors are prohibited from performing in any capacity as an actor, which means, no red carpets, no premieres and no interviews about their past or future projects. 

While many would think that superstar and A-list actors would not be impacted by the loss of work because of their fortunes, many background and supporting actors have voiced how it impacts them on social media, including revealing that they can't as much as pay for rent in California or New York from just their acting paychecks alone. 

This is why the SAG-AFTRA called for an urgent appeal on donations for the Emergency Financial Assistance Program of the guild intended for the families of its performers.

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SAG-AFTRA Foundation President Courtney B. Vance appealed to its members for donations to support its charitable Emergency Financial Assistance Program – primarily dedicated to providing crucial emergency financial aid to SAG-AFTRA performers in urgent financial need. 

In a press release on Aug. 2, 2023, the SAG-AFTRA thanked the many stars who have answered the call for donations, among them were Streep and Clooney, who have donated at least $1 million to the foundation. 

According to Vance, actor Dwayne Johnson helped kickstart the campaign by giving out a historic seven-figure donation o the foundation. He also added that Streep and Clooney, with his wife Amal Clooney, also stepped up and gave $1 million in donations each, as well as calls to action for other actors to give generously. 

“We’ve crushed our initial goal because our people are coming together, but we still aren’t done. Our fundraising will continue in order to meet the overwhelming needs of our community now and in the future,” Vance said in a statement. 

Among the other actors who donated $1 million or more to the foundation are the following: Luciana and Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Hugh Jackman and wife Deborra-lee Furness, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck, Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Julia Roberts, former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Oprah. They have raised more than $15 million altogether. 

In a statement from Streep, she said:

“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.”

Clooney expressed his solidarity with the guild as he was “proud” to be able to support the foundation during this historic moment. 

What can you say about George Clooney and Meryl Streep? Aren’t they, and the other celebrities who've donated, generous for supporting their fellow actors in such a way? Let us know, and pass this on to your family and friends!