Mandy Moore is speaking out about how much she's made in streaming residuals for This Is Us. The actress shared that some of her paychecks were less than $1. As as a member of the actors’ union, Screen Actors Guild — American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, she joins many on the picket line in protest.
Mandy was captured outside the Walt Disney Studios with fellow SAG-AFTRA members. The strike comes at a demand that the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers provide more equitable residuals.
Residuals are what actors and other entertainment industry workers are paid whenever TV shows or movies they've either appeared in or worked on are replayed. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the 39-year-old actress shared her thoughts on the current state of residuals.
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“The residual issue is a huge issue,” Mandy said. “We’re in incredibly fortunate positions as working actors having been on shows that found tremendous success in one way or another … but many actors in our position for years before us were able to live off of residuals or at least pay their bills.”
The singer shared that she has received “very tiny, like 81-cent checks” for the streaming deal This Is Us has with Hulu. “I was talking with my business manager, who said he’s received a residual for a penny and two pennies,” she noted.
SAG-AFTRA members are now on strike, joining the Writers Guild of America members, who have been on strike since May 2. Both unions believe that the changing technology of streaming services means pay needs to be restructured.
Residuals are known to have helped non-celebrity union members to afford to live when they aren't on a project. But over the years, that has changed, and union members are compensated at a lower rate.
Many other actors have also joined in on the strike as well. Reportedly, 65,000 members of the actors' union are standing in solidarity.
This is the first time since 1960 that both SAG-AFTRA and WGA have combined to go on strike. They are also fighting for shorter seasons, longer breaks, fairer deals and contracts, and provisions about artificial intelligence.
