The ‘This Is Us’ star was in the Disney picket line in Burbank on Tuesday as part of the SAG-AFTRA strike.
Mandy Moore isn’t always cashing in the big bucks.
In an interview from the Disney picket line in Burbank with The Hollywood Reporter, the actress, 39, revealed that This Is Us streaming revenue only earns her checks for a penny to 81 cents from Disney’s streaming deal with Hulu. Moore joined the SAG-AFTRA strike, which started after the actors’ union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) were unable to reach terms for a new contract. The AMPTP represents the major studios and streamers.
“The residual issue is a huge issue,” Moore said at the strike, where she was joined by former Scandal star Katie Lowes. “We’re in incredibly fortunate positions as working actors having been on shows that found tremendous success in one way or another… but many actors in our position for years before us were able to live off of residuals or at least pay their bills.”
Moore went on to explain that she received “very tiny” checks for streaming residuals, adding that her business manager has also “received a residual for a penny and two pennies.” Lowes added that she hasn’t received anything substantial from Disney from streaming deals with Netflix and, more recently, Hulu for Scandal.
“If you are someone who has been fortunate enough in our positions to do 120-plus episodes of a successful show in previous years — 10, 15, 20 years ago — that re-airing would be the thing that could sustain you on years where I did this smaller project or I wanted to go do a play or you have kids and you have a family to provide for,” Lowes said of the residuals model. “And that’s just not a reality anymore.”
“The entire model has changed,” Lowes continued.
A representative for Disney did not respond to a request for comment.
After her initial comments made headlines, Moore chose to “bring a bit more clarity to a very nuanced issue” in a candid Instagram post.
“Striking isn’t fun. No one hoped it would come to this and I know everyone involved is hopeful for a resolution soon so folks can get back to work,” she said. “The trickle-down effect felt across so many industries is already devastating.
There are plenty of issues that are gumming up the wheels (transparency with data, wage increases, residuals, ai, etc…) and I spoke about one that happened to be top of my mind because of a conversation I’d been having while picketing.”
Moore noted that she can “fully acknowledge the profoundly lucky and rarified position” she’s in as an actor. And while she doesn’t “take for granted” where she currently stands, she also doesn’t “assume” she’ll be so fortunate “forever.”
“Ours is a fickle industry and in my 20+ years of being a performer, my career has ebbed and flowed. I’ve had very lean years where I couldn’t get a job and those are precisely the moments when in years past, actors could rely on residuals from their past work to help them get by,” she explained. “The world and business have changed and I’m hoping we can find a meaningful solution moving forward.”
Moore added, “I am one person — a tiny part of our guild — and while I am happy to use whatever platform my past jobs have given me to speak to issues effecting my fellow @sagaftra family, I know my experience is my own. Here’s hoping we get a fair contract soon so we can get back to doing the jobs we all love and miss so much.”
Joining the 160,000-plus SAG-AFTRA members on strike, Moore has been in the picketing line since the start of the strike. She even reunited with former This Is Us costars Chrissy Metz and Jon Huertas on Friday after SAG-AFTRA announced it would be going on strike the day prior.
“Day 1. Proud to stand with my fellow @sagaftra and @wgawest members demanding a fair contract. #sagaftrastrike #wgastrong #unionstrong,” she captioned a post that included a group photo of the trio and a video of the crew marching down the street.
Moore also took to her Instagram Story and reposted the photo of her posing with Metz and Huertas.
“My forever family,” she gushed.
SAG President Fran Drescher and Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator of SAG-AFTRA, announced the strike at a press conference Thursday afternoon, saying the vote was “unanimous.” Crabtree-Ireland said the studios “left us with no alternative” than to strike.
In her speech, Drescher, noted that the “entire business model has been changed by streaming, digital, A.I.” She continued, “This is a very big deal and it weighed heavy on us. At some point, you have to say no, we’re not going to take it anymore.”
“The jig is up… We demand respect,” the former The Nanny star said. “You share the wealth, because you cannot exist without us.”
