The “Moana” actor reportedly donated an undisclosed seven-figure sum to help actors in need as the SAG-AFTRA strike leaves hundreds of thousands of members out of work.
Dwayne Johnson is helping support his fellow actors. The multi-hyphenate reportedly has given a historic donation to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation in the midst of the actors union’s strike alongside the WGA’s for better working conditions in Hollywood and across the country.
According to a Variety report, Johnson made a seven-figure donation to the foundation, which will help thousands of actors currently out of work due to the strikes. The SAG-AFTRA Foundation is associated with, but not part of, the SAG-AFTRA union, and helps to provide aid and financial assistance to the over 160,000 members through its Emergency Financial Assistance Program.
Cyd Wilson, executive director of the foundation, told the outlet, “We rely on donations and grants to provide services …but when we hit a crisis like this and we’re going to spend millions and millions of dollars in financial assistance, this is when we need our high profile talent who can afford it, who are in a situation to help others.”
This led the foundation to send a letter to over 2,000 of the union’s “highest earning members outlining the financial need” their fellow union members would be facing in the coming months, signed by Wilson and the foundation’s president, actor Courtney B. Vance.
Vance recalled a phone call with Johnson after the letter was sent, telling the outlet, “It was a love fest. It’s like, ‘Man, you’re stepping up in a way that is allowing others to know the dire necessity of it.” He added, “This is him saying, ‘In such a time as this, I’m here and I’m not going anywhere, whatever you need me to do.’ And that sends a huge message to other folks to do the same thing.”
According to information Wilson details in the report, the foundation’s grants provide up to $1,500 per individual member, but in “extreme conditions” the actor can receive up to “$6,000 in emergency financial assistance.”
As theGrio previously reported, SAG-AFTRA went on strike this month after weeks of negotiations with the AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers). Under the strike guidelines, actors must refrain from all new work and even promotional obligations, including interviews, film festivals award shows and more.
For more on the SAG-AFTRA Foundation and ways to support it, head to the official site here.
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