Actors’ Strike | George Clooney, Ben Affleck, other Hollywood actors offer $150 million to help end strike

George Clooney
| Photo Credit: CINDY ORD

Oscar winner George Clooney and other top Hollywood stars have offered $150 million to the SAG-AFTRA actors union as part of a proposal to end the actors’ strike as it nears its 100th day. Their offer, confirmed by Clooney’s spokesperson on Thursday, would provide the union an extra $150 million over three years and could help fund improved health benefits.

Clooney also said top stars would only collect residuals once lower-paid actors received theirs. “A lot of the top earners want to be part of the solution,” Clooney told Hollywood publication Deadline, which first reported the news. “We think it’s fair for us to pay more into the union.”

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According to an article by The Hollywood Reporter, major SAG-AFTRA members participated in a Zoom call with top union leaders. Scarlett Johansson, Kerry Washington, Tyler Perry, Bradley Cooper, Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Emma Stone, Laura Dern and Ryan Reynolds were all reportedly present on Tuesday’s call.

A SAG-AFTRA spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Members of SAG-AFTRA have been on strike since July. Talks between the union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) broke down last week, dashing hopes for a quick resolution.

The strike, which will mark its 100th day on Saturday, has disrupted film and television production, leaving thousands of crew members without work as well as the actors. Hollywood’s film and television writers ratified a new, three-year contract earlier this month, ending their 148-day work stoppage.