The Rock makes a huge donation to help striking actors – News Block

Movie stars make millions, but many working actors struggle to make ends meet, a problem made more conscious thanks to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. While union members fight Hollywood studios for fair contractsone of the most famous artists in the world shares part of his good fortune.

According to a report in Variety, Dwayne The Rock Johnson has made a “seven-figure donation,” exact amount not disclosed, to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation (“a non-profit organization associated with, but not a part of, the union”), responding to a petition sent to 2,700 of the union’s highest-paid members to help offset financial hardship caused by the strike. (The union has 160,000 total members, according to the trade, so you can see how lopsided the scales are.)

“We rely on donations and grants to deliver services,” the group’s CEO Cyd Wilson told Variety, noting that the group has also reached out to its most financially creditworthy members for help during the pandemic. “But when we’re facing a crisis like this and we’re going to spend millions and millions of dollars in financial assistance, that’s when we need our high-profile talent who can afford it, who’s in a position to help others.”

Wilson added: “It is the largest single donation we have ever received from one individual at a time. And what’s amazing is that that check will help thousands of actors put food on their tables, keep their kids safe, and keep their cars running. And it’s not lost on me that he’s very humble about it, but it’s a way to help us get started.”

Go to Variety to read the full interview with Wilson and SAG-AFTRA Foundation President Courtney B. Vance, and we hope other deep-pocketed actors will step up to help others in their industry.

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