Many actors are currently on strike in the USA, fighting for better working conditions. The SAG-AFTRA Foundation supports striking actors with financial assistance. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has now donated a substantial amount of money to the Foundation.
- Since July 13, 2023, SAG-AFTRA has been on strike in the USA. This is an actors’ union that particularly demands better working conditions for unknown actors.
- The SAG-AFTRA Foundation works with the union but is not part of it. The Foundation provides financial aid to striking actors to help them get by during the strike.
- With a large donation, mega-star The Rock has stepped in to support his smaller colleagues.
What was the amount of the donation? In an interview, the president of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, Courtney B. Vance, and the executive director Cyd Wilson discussed the strike and Dwayne Johnson’s donation (via variety.com).
Vance promised not to disclose the exact amount of the donation. However, it is said to be a seven-figure donation. The amount is therefore somewhere between 1 million and 10 million US dollars.
According to Director Wilson, this is the largest donation ever received by the Foundation from an individual.
What will the money be used for? In the interview with Variety, the heads of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation discussed some numbers. Wilson clarified: The strike is not about Oscar winners.
It concerns the smaller wheels that sit in the background of a restaurant, contributing a part of the picture that is often unseen but would leave something missing without them. These people often have two or more jobs and must figure out each month, each week, how to continue financing their lives.
The SAG-AFTRA Foundation helps support those who cannot earn money due to the strike. The SAG-AFTRA union has a total of 160,000 members, and many of them currently need financial assistance.
The money is used to buy food, fill up cars, and keep the lives of these individuals running.
How did the donation come about? The SAG-AFTRA Foundation sent out 2,700 letters to the Foundation members at the start of the strike, who are known to earn the most.
How much has been donated in total is not disclosed by the officials. But The Rock has made the largest contribution.
Courtney B. Vance also uses the interview to express gratitude: ‘It was a love fest […] I want to thank Dwayne for his enormous generosity, compassion, and initiative to step up in such a significant and meaningful way for our community. On behalf of the thousands whom his historic donation will help, thank you, thank you, thank you.’
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