Actor William Stanford Davis has shown a tiny residual pay cheque he recently received amid the SAG-AFTRA strike.
The 71-year-old is well-known for his lengthy acting resume, with roles in Ray Donovan, Swagger and Snowpiercer - but is perhaps best known for playing Mr Johnson in the Emmy-nominated Abbott Elementary.
In a clip shared on Instagram, Davis revealed a residual cheque he was sent back in May for an unnamed acting job - and it’s fair to say it's probably a lot less than you’d imagine.
Davis wrote in the caption: "I want to give you an example of what a residual cheque looks like. I showed this to my brother and he fell over laughing... it ain’t f**king funny."
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Speaking into the camera, Davis said: “I’ve been a screen actor for 35 years, I've been in the Guild about 32 years, and... I'll let this speak for itself. This is a residual cheque... you see that?"
He then held the check up to reveal the paltry sum of just three cents.
“That’s a residual cheque,” he continued. “I’m not going to say who produced it, because I can’t tell you who these cheap motherf**kers are.
"But anyway, I’m standing in solidarity with the writers, and we’re going to be on strike until we get what we need to make a living.”
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And in case anyone thought this may just be a one-off, Davis then shared a second pay cheque - this time for five cents.
He went on: “You see that? Can you believe that? That’s [five] cents.
“The postage, the paper, everything costs more than that. That’s what they think of us as actors. This is why we’re on strike for better wages, for better residuals [and] for a piece of the subscription and to not give in to AI.”
Earlier this month, the SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) union joined the ongoing WGA (Writers’ Guild of America) strike following weeks of negotiations around pay, conditions and the use of AI in future productions.
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And Davis is currently one of the tens of thousands of actors who is taking part in industrial action in Hollywood.
Announcing the strike in a press conference on July 13, SAG National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, said: “Because the AMPTP [Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers] remains unwilling to offer a fair deal on key issues essential to protecting the livelihoods of working actors and performers, SAG-AFTRA’s national board unanimously voted to issue a strike order against studios and streamers."
Topics: Film and TV, US News, SAG-AFTRA Writers Strike
Claire Reid