SAG-AFTRA member Cari Ciotti walks on a picket line outside Paramount studios on Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023, in Los Angeles. The actors strike comes more than two months after screenwriters began striking in their bid to get better pay and working conditions.
Chris Pizzello/Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
The SAG-AFTRA Foundation has raised $15 million in the last three weeks for its emergency financial assistance fund, with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars donating $1 million or more.
Those large donors include:
- Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
- George and Amal Clooney
- Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck
- Matt Damon and Luciana Barroso
- Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively
- Leonardo DiCaprio
- Julia Roberts
- Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness
- Arnold Schwarzenegger
- Meryl Streep
- Nicole Kidman
- Oprah Winfrey
The SAG-AFTRA strike began on July 14.
Actor and SAG-AFTRA Foundation President Courtney B. Vance said Wednesday the organization has received 30 times its usual amount of applications for the emergency fund, with 400 applications coming in last week alone.
“I appealed to our community to remember how tough it was coming up, and the response to help their fellow performers has been incredible, immediate and heartwarming,” he said.
Johnson gave a “historic seven-figure donation,” while Streep and George Clooney, who are members of the foundation’s Actor’s Council, have donated, made calls and sent emails as part of fundraising efforts, Vance said.
“I remember my days as a waiter, cleaner, typist, even my time on the unemployment line,” Streep said. “In this strike action, I am lucky to be able to support those who will struggle…
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