SAG-AFTRA Strike 2023: How it Feels to Be an Actor
I’ve been a member of SAG since 2011 — before it was a part of AFTRA.
When I joined, it cost me $1300, and on that day, I felt like I stepped into a whole new world of possibility and success. I thought I deserved the attention of agents and managers — that I would be famous in no time with all the money in the world. I was 18 years old, and I had no idea that I wouldn’t start to see any success until I was in my late twenties. And I don’t mean success in the way I dreamed of, but just making enough to keep going.
How Many Actors Actually Make Money?
Just because you see an actor on a TV show or in a movie, it doesn’t actually mean that person is well off.
For instance, from 2021-2022, I did over 10 co-stars and a couple of guest star roles on a variety of shows. In total, I made a little over $40,000 for the year acting — enough to qualify for health insurance and pay my rent. Trust me, I know it doesn’t sound like much, but the reality is that I made a lot more money than what most union actors are making.
In a recent study, 90% of union actors are unemployed at any given time, whereas only 2% of actors are able to make a living at the profession. Throughout my career, I’ve also heard other crazy stats about the reality of pay for so many of us. In discussions with some of my friends who have been acting professionally since the 70s and 80s, out of all union actors, only 1% of them make over $100,000 or more. 10% of them make just enough to cover health insurance (which the threshold has gone up over the years to $26,470) and everybody else hardly makes anything. It’s no surprise that so many of us have to do different things to make ends meet. I know for myself, I have thousands of dollars in rent to pay every month. I run multiple businesses with their own rent payments and utility bills. My dog eats like a horse. Groceries at Whole Foods and Trader Joes costs hundreds of dollars every other week. My car needs new tires. The lawn is getting out of control. My fiancé and I plan to get married this fall and still need to plan and pay for a wedding. Now, I’ve been fortunate enough to use a bunch of other skills to earn a living, but most actors have limited options.
How Most Actors Survive
When I first got started in LA, I fell into the catering business.
I met a guy at the gym who offered me a tray-passing job at some sleezy party. When I got there, the guy told me to take my shirt off, grab a tray, and start serving hors d’oeuvres. I did jobs like this for years at a bunch of random places, and even though I only made a few hundred bucks a week, there was no better choice out there.
As an actor, you need time to audition, which means you need your mornings and days free to submit tapes and memorize lines. If you don’t want to work in food service, you can be an Uber driver — picking up fares at odd hours during the week and running your lines in the car. You can pick up a retail job, but that means you’re working part-time and weekends, pretty much giving up your social life to pursue a lonely dream.
Aside from just paying rent, you also need to afford acting classes because how else are you supposed to practice your craft? And guess what — acting classes cost money. You’re paying hundreds of dollars a month to rehearse scenes, trying to carve out some kind of self-expression and momentum for your career.
And truly, what this current strike really accomplishes for so many actors who are just trying to live is the stalling of progress — the screeching halt of momentum.
What Does Momentum Mean for an Actor?
When I say Momentum, I mean the snowball effect of good opportunities following your hard work and progress.
From my own experience, being a part of the ABC Showcase in 2020 marked a new period of accomplishment for my career. It was the first time I started to develop relationships with networks and build connections with casting directors who knew me and wanted to invite me to audition. New opportunities rolled in, and once again, I thought, “Wow, my life is gonna change forever.” But fast-forward 3 years later and that momentum has dwindled. For other actors, momentum could be recently signing with a new agent. Maybe you just brought on a manager who really believes in you. A play you just finished got really good reviews and an important casting director asked about you. All of these things are important steps along the path to achieving one’s dreams in this business, but once setbacks and roadblocks step in, those wonderful moments turn into exactly that — just moments.
This current strike is no different.
Whatever momentum or feelings of accomplishment that an actor has is put on pause, and while that pause is in effect, guess what? People forget.
The Power of Momentum in Hollywood
I use this word “momentum” because it represents a driving force that helps us break into new areas of discovery and opportunity for what we love to do.
Once you book your first co-star role, it gets easier to book the second one. Then a few co-stars leads to a supporting role in an indie film. Then you book your first national commercial. Then your agent calls and you have your first audition for a pilot. Then you get a callback for the pilot. Next is your chemistry read. And then your agent calls and breaks the news that you didn’t get the part, but the room loved you and they’ll keep you in mind. And they very well may keep you in mind as long as the auditions keep rolling in and the timing works in your favor. But then a strike happens. Auditions get scarce. Your manager drops you. You have to pick up more shifts at the restaurant. You’re trying to find time to picket and support the strike, but you need money. So you pick up more shifts, and then your agent drops you because you missed an audition deadline by mistake. Then you’re looking for a new agent, and you’re still on strike, and the rent is late, and your parents are calling you because they’re worried. You start to question your dreams and if you should get your real estate license or go back to college. Meanwhile, your union is still on strike, and all those executives and casting directors you knew before start to make new lists, and your name gets pushed back to another page, and all that momentum you had just a few months ago is over. And if it ever comes back, you’ll have to start at the beginning — nowhere closer to where you thought you’d be by this point in your life.
It’s a harsh reality for so many of us actors, which is why this strike and all the momentum it’s building is important to move forward in the right direction.
What Studio Executives and Producers Really Care About
I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know many studio-heads and producers across the country. Some of them I’ve even had the pleasure of calling my personal friends and mentors.
There truly are people out there in higher-up positions who want to see artists succeed. However, that doesn’t prevent them from prioritizing their own lives and happiness. I think it’s crucial for actors and artists to understand that people who work for studios operate by a much different set of rules and obligations, mainly being that they just want to keep doing their jobs and make money themselves.
The volatility and turnover of executive positions among studios and producers is incredibly high. For instance, when I was a part of the ABC showcase, all the executives and VPs and Casting VPs that I got to know had all changed jobs a few months later — that momentum for me was gone. Something similar happened again when I had a general meeting with executives from Freeform back in 2021. Two ladies from the team met with my agent and I, and after an amazing meeting of “We love Chase,” and “We can’t wait to get him on a show,” literally the next day, both of those women were let go. Overnight, Freeform had no idea who I was anymore. At first, the chaos of it felt jarring and unfair, but it’s the reality of this industry — that so many people are fighting to keep their jobs and build momentum themselves.
Now, this isn’t to say that pay scales aren’t unfair — they are.
A recent article from The Hollywood Reporter shows that many Entertainment CEOs make more money than CEOs at S&P 500 companies. Check out the table below for an idea of how much guys like Tim Cook from Apple and Ted Sarandos from Netflix are making each year:
Something important to recognize here is that internally, these networks and studios have a tremendous amount of inequality. Us actors feel like we can’t catch a break or get paid what we feel is fair, but within their own ranks, these studios have employees making fractions of what the guys in charge are making, so just using common sense, how can an actor begin to think that a CEO or VP or producer will prioritize how much they’re making? They won’t — they’re going to care about how much they can make based on what actor brings in the most revenue. People who work for streamers and studios are bound to this reality, and as actors, we’re judged under this pursuit according to our level of talent, and looks, and bankability.
The bottom-line is that both sides should be considered, and by understanding the realities of both actors and studios, there needs to be a compromise so everyone can get back to work doing what they love — or at least being able to capitalize on the momentum of where they want their lives to go.
Why SAG-AFTRA Has to Get Back to Negotiating
The best weapon we have is momentum.
Currently, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) is struggling to negotiate its own deal with The Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers (AMPTP) — fighting for protections under AI, as well as increases for streaming residuals and minimum payouts.
Ted Sarandos from Netflix shares that “[they’re] super committed to getting to an agreement as soon as possible. One that’s equitable and one that enables the industry and everybody in it to move forward into the future.” And Bob Iger, the CEO of Disney, says: “It is my fervent hope that we quickly find solutions to the issues that have kept us apart these past few months.”
It seems as though leadership from the other side is willing to find a resolution, but with the WGA setting the pace, SAG-AFTRA has no other option but to use this momentum to make their own deal according to that outcome.
What Actors are Fighting For
Mainly, SAG-AFTRA wants an 11% increase in baseline payouts, and an 8% increase over the next two years. Bolster that with protections against AI and fair compensation, and a resolution is entirely within reach. Right now, the AMPTP is offering a 5% increase to general wages, and a 7.5% increase over two years. As for AI, they want to be able to scan a background actor’s image and pay them half their usual day rate. Plus, they want the freedom to use their likeness for any future projects and shows without permission. Worse yet, they want the freedom to use an actor’s image, likeness, and performance to train new generative AI systems moving forward — all without getting permission or offering additional pay.
The picket lines are important, but what’s more important is continuing negotiations and working closer toward a common goal. The momentum is rolling out with interim agreements, and the more we can encourage our fellow writers to find a deal they believe in, we’ll be in a better position to negotiate one for ourselves, especially when new iterations of these deals arrive in the future. Because trust me — they will continue to happen.
Right now, what we need is a foundation of shared goals and values. Actors want protections and fair payments. Studios want the freedom to expand with content that makes the most money. However, studios need talented artists (actors, writers and directors) in order to do this. Artists don’t need studios. For instance, AMC just announced a landmark deal with Taylor Swift to release here new Eras Tour across theaters nationwide. AMC even allows for submissions of indie films to be considered for release. This trend will continue with new avenues for creatives to promote themselves connect with the most amount of people possible. Instagram, YouTube, Twitch, Podcasts — there are a variety of platforms that give freedom and empowerment to those who seek it, and aside from public praise and acclaim, I’ve come from the school of self-preservation and expression.
To me, being actor is a part of my life. Whether I’m reading poems in a bar for strangers or filming a movie that I wrote with close friends, money and notoriety are not entangled with my reasons to feel alive. I think for many people, being an actor wasn’t necessarily a choice — it’s a calling. And as long as we follow that calling, as long as we follow the momentum of where our lives are going, the right opportunities will emerge.
How to Get Involved
I encourage every actor out there to push for negotiations. Push for a dialogue with those in charge. Become a collaborator in the process instead of someone below shouting out to those above. We have more power than we think, and as we start to exercise that belief and confidence, those in charge will take notice.
To get involved with SAG-AFTRA & WGA strikes, visit this link.
