The SAG-AFTRA is an ongoing actors strike that commenced on July 14 due to a labour dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. It coincided with a strike called by the Writers Guild of America (WGA).
The strike marks the first time Hollywood actors initiated a labour dispute. Both the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and WGA labour disputes have contributed to the biggest interruption to the American television and film industries.
The SAG-AFTRA foundation president Courtney B. Vance and executive director Cyd Wilson together drafted a letter to two thousand and seven hundred of the union’s highest-earning actors for outlining the financial need. Many have been facing work stoppage.
As soon as the letter was sent, Dwayne Johnson’s team reached out to the foundation president Vance, to inform that the actor wants to help.
According to Variety, we got to know that Vance told Johnson that the exact amount will be kept confidential, “It was a love fest. It’s like, ‘Man, you’re stepping up in a way that is allowing others to know the dire necessity of it’. This is him saying, ‘In such a time as this, I’m here and I’m not going anywhere, whatever you need me to do.’ And that sends a huge message to other folks to do the same thing.”
“It is a call to arms for all of us to know that we just have to step up however you can. If your step up is $10, step up. Because that $10 is going to help somebody. If it’s $10,000, if it’s $10 million, step up, because we have to. Everyone knows what happens when you go on strike, when you stand for something as the saying goes, if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for everything you can’t stand unless you have support underneath you, on the side, up top and up front. So Dwayne is letting everyone know, ‘I’m here. What are you going to do?”, Vance further continued.
Executive director Willson said, “It’s the largest single donation that we’ve ever received from one individual at one time. And what is amazing is that that one cheque is going to help thousands of actors keep food on their table.”
The SAG-AFTRA foundation was established in 1985 by the Screen Actors Guild. It’s a non-profit organisation, running a variety of assistance programmes for union members.
