Actor explains what SAG AFTRA strike is about: ‘If you see me on TV, I shouldn’t have two side jobs to survive’. Watch

Are you intrigued by all the chatter around the SAG AFTRA strike in Hollywood, but confused what the strike is really about? Australian actor Luke Cook, who appears in several American shows, has explained how the strike affects actors like him, in a recent TikTok video. (Also Read: Oppenheimer’s US premiere red carpet cancelled in support of SAG-AFTRA strike, film will still be screened)

SAG-AFTRA stands for Screen Actors Guilt – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. It’s a labour union that represents actors, particularly in the areas of film and television. Consisting of around 160,000 members, the organization was born on March 30, 2012 after the merger of the SAG (created in 1933) and the AFTRA (created in 1937). The ongoing strike is one of the biggest in Hollywood in recent memory.

Who is Luke Cook?

Luke is a 36-year-old Australian actor residing in Los Angeles, California. While he has had guest appearances in James Gunn’s 2017 Marvel film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, ABC sitcom Modern Family, and ABC’s legal thriller series How To Get Away With Murder, he is best known to play the recurring role of Lucifer in Netflix fantasy show Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

Luke Cook clarifies not every actor is a millionaire

Since many naysayers are objecting to the SAG AFTRA strike because of the impression that all actors are ‘millionaires’ and do not need more compensation, Luke dismissed the prejudice by citing his own example.

“I am not a millionaire. I drive a 2010 Mazda S3. My previous car was a 2003 Ford Torris. 95% of the actors in SAG are not millionaires. They usually make their living through some side hustle. I’m one of those actors. The actors you’re thinking of are series regulars or A-listers in big movies. The actors who surround them – guest stars, co-stars etc – actors like me, we’re paid chips,” Luke said in a TikTok video.

Luke details his own pay disparity

“I’ll give you an example. I did a show called Dollface last year. They put me on a billboard at Sunset (Boulevard) and you know how much they paid me? Zero. The amount they paid me for the show is not much better. I live in Los Angeles and I have two kids. The amount they paid me per episode, which is two weeks of work, is $7,500. Then it’s taxed, a manager takes 10%, an agent takes 10%, lawyer takes 5%. Now, I’m one rung below the series regular, who’s making sometimes even $100,000 per episode. They’re wealthy and they deserve it too. They’re usually very talented people.”

Luke says the strikes is about actors like him

“A large part of this strike is about getting actors like me to get paid more. It’s about a portion in the profits these streamers and the big companies are bringing in. This strike is not about millionaires. As I said, 95% of SAG actors cannot survive by just doing this job. Your favourite actor may not even get affected by this deal, whatever it is. They’ll continue to get paid thousands of dollars. As a battler and someone who has a side job, I’m just asking to be paid more for making your favourite TV shows. If you see me on TV, I shouldn’t have to have two side jobs just to survive,” Luke said, signing off.

More about the strike

The two guilds have similar issues with studios and streaming services. They are concerned about contracts keeping up with inflation and about residual payments, which compensate creators and actors for use of their material beyond the original airing, such as in reruns or on streaming services. The unions also want to put up guardrails against the use of artificial intelligence mimicking their work on film and television.

So far, the strike has been joined by the likes of Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis, Ginnifer Goodwin and Sean Astin among others. Recently, Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan and actor Priyanka Chopra also lent their support to the SAG-AFTRA strike.

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