Featured Image Credit: Mike Smith/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images. Mario Tama/Getty Images
Topics: Film and TV, SAG-AFTRA Writers Strike
Stewart Perrie
Topics: Film and TV, SAG-AFTRA Writers Strike
Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane has donated a huge sum of cash to ensure the striking actors and writers across American can keep going.
Members of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG)-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) have walked off the job for weeks.
They're demanding better pay conditions in the age of streaming services; arguing they aren't getting a decent wage for their time.
Obviously not working their regular jobs means they aren't getting paid and loads of Hollywood projects have been put on hold until an agreement can be reached.
Advert
However, they've been given a big boost from MacFarlane.
He's given $1 million to the Entertainment Community Fund that is supporting the striking SAG-AFTRA members, according to Variety.
But he's not the only person helping out.
The fund had received more than $6 million in donations since May 1 as plenty of A-listers want to ensure others can keep doing what they feel is necessary.
Variety says there have been funds pledged from The Katie McGrath & JJ Abrams Family Foundation, Stacey Abrams, Annette Bening, Tom Bergeron, Greg Berlanti, Rachel Bloom, Rosanne Cash in memory of Johnny Cash, Suzanne Collins and Cap Pryor, Vince Gilligan, Lynn Nottage, Michelle Pfeiffer and David E. Kelley, Shonda Rhimes, and Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw.
One of the biggest donations came from Dwayne Johnson, who offered an undisclosed, seven-figure sum to ensure the members wouldn't go out of pocket any time soon.
Entertainment Community Fund chair Annette Bening said: "The Entertainment Community Fund is overcome with gratitude to the prominent leaders in our community who have donated in support of film and television workers in need.
"Each day, the calls for help increase; these gifts will immediately assist so many in our industry who are still struggling to recover after the pandemic.
"We also hope that these impactful gifts will inspire others, if they can, to donate to support our crucial work.”
Variety claims that before the strike action, the fund was distributing emergency financial assistance of up to $75,000 a week.
However, that has now exploded to more than $400,000.
It's unclear how much longer the strike action will continue and what impacts it will have on the wider entertainment industry and its projects.
Loads of titles have had their release dates pushed back to accomodate for the stoppage in work, like the Dirty Dancing sequel, Avatar 4-6, Blade, and The Batman: Part II.