More Than a Dozen A-Listers Donate Millions to SAG-AFTRA Foundation
Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts, and Meryl Streep are just a few of the celebrities who’ve donated over a million dollars to the SAG-AFTRA strike.
Courtney B. Vance, President of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, revealed that the organization has raised over $15 million. The funds are being used for their emergency financial assistance program, designed to support actors who are losing potential income during the strike.
The program’s success is largely thanks to many celebrities who have been able to donate significantly to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. Multiple A-list celebrities have contributed more than a million dollars. The donors include Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness, George and Amal Clooney, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, Julia Roberts, Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Oprah Winfrey, Luciana and Matt Damon, and Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively.
Additionally, Variety reported last week that Dwayne Johnson made a “historic” seven-figure contribution. Vance called Johnson’s donation “a call to arms” and encouraged those able to “step up however you can.”
“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,” Vance told sources. He also thanked Clooney and Streep for their longtime dedication to SAG-AFTRA as members of the Actors’ Council. He then stated that they “stepped up with $1 million donations, emails and many calls-to-action rallying others to give generously.”
Vance announced that although the strike has made significant strides, there’s still much more work to be done. He stated, “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.”
Streep also recounted her own experiences as a struggling actress, and emphasized the importance of fair wages. “I remember my days as a waiter, cleaner, typist, even my time on the unemployment line,” she stated. “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. I am proudest of my fellow actors who have immediately offered to fund the Emergency Financial Assistance Program.”
Many of the stars insisted that perseverance is crucial to the strike. Matt Damon, who left the premiere of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer in solidarity with SAG-AFTRA, noted that higher wages are necessary to improving actor’s quality of living, “It’s $26,000 to qualify for health coverage and a lot of people are on the margins and residual payments are getting them across that threshold. This isn’t an academic exercise. This is real life and death stuff. Hopefully we get to a resolution quickly. No one wants a work stoppage, but we’ve got to get a fair deal.”
To donate to the SAG-AFTRA fund, click here.
