A group of A-list actors pledged some of their own money in an effort to end the actors’ strike in Hollywood, but according to reports their request was turned down by the union.
The effort was led by George Clooney and included other big-name Hollywood stars such as Ben Affleck, Emma Stone, Tyler Perry, and Scarlett Johansson, Variety reported. This group of about 15 celebrities proposed payments of $150 million over three years to SAG-AFTRA by way of removing the current cap on union dues. They said this bottom-up structure would make top-earners the last to collect on residuals rather than the first.
The outlet noted that SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher and executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland met with the union’s negotiating committee to discuss these proposed terms. But sources say their proposal was met with a rejection.
“It didn’t go well,” one of the sources said, adding that the committee “didn’t see the validity” of the proposal.
The insiders further said the situation has inspired negative feelings in the Hollywood community as the A-listers sought a solution for resolving the ongoing strike and getting back to work. “They don’t understand why there isn’t just a mediation,” one source said.
“I’ll reach out to George to talk to him,” David Jolliffe, a member of the negotiating committee, said of the situation, per Variety. “We appreciate everybody’s help. Everybody has ideas. But we’ve been doing this for almost a year now.”
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Crabtree-Ireland said the frustration is justified, but everyone should just trust the process.
“No one has indicated any lack of unity or support that I’m aware of,” Crabtree-Ireland said during an interview at the picket line on Thursday. “And I don’t think having a suggestion or an idea is an indication of a lack of support… I think it’s unfortunate if people misconstrue that as some sort of interference or some sort of lack of confidence in the negotiating committee because that’s just not the case.”
“I think everyone would like this to be over with,” he added. “There’s no one who wants this to continue. But I also think everyone recognizes that that’s only going to happen with a fair deal.”
The SAG-AFTRA strike has been going on since July 14. The Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) resolved their strike at the end of September, which led industry members to hope for a similar resolution for actors that would help get Hollywood back up and running.