Hollywood royalty, Nicole Kidman and Oprah Winfrey among those contributing $1 million+ to aid fellow performers during the ongoing strike
The SAG-AFTRA Foundation, an industry stalwart in providing emergency aid, has successfully marshalled the financial forces of Hollywood’s highest earners. Amid the ongoing actors’ strike, they’ve managed to accumulate over $15 million in donations to support journeymen performers in dire financial straits.
George Clooney, Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Hugh Jackman, Dwayne Johnson, and Nicole Kidman form the philanthropic constellation each donating a million dollars or more to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation.
“As Hollywood’s leading lights shine their generosity on us, we are gearing up to bring relief and encouragement to thousands of journeymen actors grappling with severe economic hardship,” Courtney B. Vance, president of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, announced in a statement, acknowledging the overwhelming response to their fundraising objectives.
Notable benefactors, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, Julia Roberts, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Meryl Streep, and Oprah Winfrey have also extended their largesse to the cause.
Operating as an independent charity since 1985, the SAG-AFTRA Foundation offers aid to eligible performers grappling with unexpected financial calamities.
Currently, the SAG-AFTRA Foundation is witnessing an unprecedented spike in applications for emergency aid, registering a thirty-fold increase—around 400 applications in just the past week. This surge comes as performers are trying to stay afloat during the strike that has virtually paralyzed Hollywood production.
Dwayne Johnson pioneered this wave of generosity, with George Clooney and Meryl Streep swiftly following suit.
Streep, reflecting on her own past financial adversities, voiced her support for the struggling actors in a statement. “During this strike action, I feel privileged to be in a position where I can help those enduring long, daunting battles against industry titans,” she said.
SAG-AFTRA members, alongside the Writers Guild of America, took to striking in July after failing to negotiate a new contract with studios and streaming services.
Drawing upon the legacy of industry pioneers, Clooney stressed the importance of this generation stepping up in a statement. “Much like how we have benefitted from the hard work of stalwarts like Bette Davis and Jimmy Cagney, it’s our turn to reciprocate. I commend Courtney for highlighting the human consequences of this strike and facilitating collective action to mitigate the suffering,” he said.
