Mandy Moore says some of her paychecks for her role on «This Is Us» after it moved to a streaming platform were for less than $1.
On Tuesday, the actress picked up her protest sign and went on the picket line as a member of the Screen Actors Guild of America, Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.
The actor was pictured outside Walt Disney Studios, standing with other SAG-AFTRA members demanding that the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers provide a more equal division of the waste.
Comcast, the corporation that owns NBC News’ parent company NBCUniversal, is one of the entertainment companies represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
In an interview with the hollywood reporterThe actress raised concerns about the issue of residuals, which is what actors (and others in the entertainment industry) get paid every time the TV shows or movies they’ve appeared in or worked on are replayed. .
“Residual problem is a big problem,” Moore explained. “We are in incredibly lucky positions as actors working on shows that were wildly successful in one way or another…but many actors in our position for years before us were able to live off the scraps or at least pay their bills.”
According to the singer-actress, when it comes to residuals from her work on the hit NBC series, she received «very small checks, like 81 cents» for the show’s streaming deal with Hulu.
“I was talking to my business manager who said he received a residual for one cent and two cents,” he added.
Hulu did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Moore’s comments echo those of SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild of America (WGA), who has been on strike since May 2. Each union has cited changing transmission technology as cause for additional compensation.
Historically, residuals have allowed non-celebrity union members to live when they’re not currently on a project. According to SAG-AFTRA, union members receive much lower compensation for transmission projects and their pay is calculated differently.
Additionally, the way online streamers make TV and movies — shorter season orders and longer breaks between seasons — has also made it «increasingly difficult for our members to achieve and maintain a middle-class lifestyle.» working as interpreters,» Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA Chief Negotiator and SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher, in an earlier statement.
The combined strike by SAG-AFTRA and the Writer’s Guild of America marks the first time they have struck together since 1960, when both unions were grappling with compensation issues related to the rise of television. In that fight, they earned residuals from TV reruns and TV movie broadcasts.
In addition to the current fight over waste, shorter seasons and longer breaks, both Unions fight for fairer deals and contracts and provisions on artificial intelligence.