Fascinating article, with numerous examples where significant characters make trivial residuals on hit shows with significant streaming runs.
It also has implications in terms of explaining why kids of people who work in the industry are working in the industry. If you’ve got parents in LA and NY and they can help support you, you’re more likely to hang in a business that’s not actually paying a living wage.
It gives a different lens on Mica Burton’s appearance in Picard season three as a recurring character for example.
Burton, the daughter of the “Star Trek” star LeVar Burton, tweeted about how little she got paid when she appeared in five episodes of “Star Trek: Picard” earlier this year.
In response to a thread regarding misconceptions about the union, Mica wrote: “Please read this thread. I said before, there is no way I could survive as a working actor if I didn’t have my 100 other side hustles. Yes, I was on Star Trek. I also do not qualify for SAG health insurance and was paid almost the same fee my dad was paid for Roots back in 1977.”
When people complained about low pay, I believed them, but I had no idea it was this bad.
On the other hand, it also gives me hope that the actors are less likely to “lose their houses” as a result of striking. If they aren’t making a living wage and need to have side jobs anyway, I’m more confident that a lot of them can find solutions. This is going to hurt Hollywood a lot more than it hurts them. Good.