The actors joined the writers on the picket lines this week as SAG-AFTRA called a strike for its members. Movie and television stars have used their high profile voices to call attention to the strike, and the demands that are not being met by the studios. One of these issues is residuals, and the lack of them in the age of streaming. Now, after Mandy Moore talked about her own tiny streaming residual checks from This Is Us, Ellen Pompeo called Netflix out for their own failings.
Moore was seen on the picket lines, striking with her fellow SAG-AFTRA members for a better contract when the union failed to reach a deal with the studios. She talked about her own tiny residual checks from streaming on her show This Is Us, drawing attention to the lack of compensation for streaming, even if you’re in a lead role on a hit show. She told The Hollywood Reporter that she sometimes saw payments that were "very tiny, like 81-cent checks." Her business manager had also seen some checks for only pennies, even though the show is popular amongst Hulu subscribers, as the actress explained:
I was talking with my business manager who said he’s received a residual for a penny and two pennies.
Following these comments, Pompeo called out a TikTok from Netflix that used photos of the actress in Grey’s Anatomy to promote the show being available with a Netflix subscription. It references three notable Meredith Grey moments, highlighting that some scenes in the show were more emotional than others. Pompeo clapped back at the studio, screenshotting the TikTok, turning it on its head. Instead of it referencing a Grey’s Anatomy sequence, the actress’s post made it address the actors strike, and the absence of significant residuals the streamer gives its creatives. You can see her Instagram story post below:
For context, residuals are pay that creatives get after their work is watched and its been completed. Back in the days before streaming, creatives would get paid when their shows continued to air in syndication after its run was completed. Therefore, many people were able to make a living as their shows continued to be aired on network television. For example, The Big Bang Theory cast continues to profit just from re-runs. This has radically changed due to streaming, and residual pay from streaming is significantly less. Now, SAG wants a contract that gives creatives larger residuals from streaming. This is also one of the big issues surrounding the writers strike.
This Is Us and Grey’s Anatomy are both extremely popular shows that would’ve likely been syndication darlings back in the days when network television reigned supreme. Now, both series are available on streaming services. While actors like the This Is Us and Grey's Anatomy stars likely received large upfront pay for their work on their series, and continue to work due to their high profiles, this isn’t the case for many of the smaller actors on the show, who may not have the same job security as Moore and Pompeo. The Emmy nominees aren’t the only ones using their platform to draw attention to the issue either, as George Clooney also spoke out in favor of a better contract. Many actors are also making their voices heard on the picket lines.
We will continue to see the effects of the ongoing situation within the entertainment industry, and actors like these two will likely continue to draw attention to key negotiation issues until a deal is reached. One can't say when the contract will be resolved but, in the meantime, it seems Mandy Moore and Ellen Pompeo are standing with their fellow actors and creative minds picketing in the SAG and WGA Writers strike.
