On the heels of a historic strike being launched by members of the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), stars of hugely-popular shows that put streaming platforms like Netflix on the map are speaking out over pay disparities. And guys, it’s worse than we thought.
The cast of Orange is the New Black — the Emmy-winning series Netflix built its reputation on a decade ago — recently revealed that despite the critical and commercial success of their prison drama, many of them are working day jobs and struggling to make rent. The New Yorker talked to nearly a dozen recurring guest stars from the show, names like Matt McGorry, Kimiko Glenn, Lea DeLaria, and Diane Guerrero who played fan-favorite supporting cast members for much of the series’ run. The group claimed that despite being told that the show was as popular as competitors like HBO’s Game of Thrones at the time, many of them were being paid very little and have seen even less in residual checks — how most working actors survive in the industry — since OITNB ended.
Glenn, who played inmate Brook Soso for the show’s entire run, reshared a TikTok she made showing a royalty check from the series that totaled a measly $27.30.
@itskimiko “New media”
#oitnb #royalties #paycheck #netflix #orangeisthenewblack #brooksoso #soso #kimikoglenn
The video prompted other cast members to share their own struggles. Commenting on the clip, McGorry wrote, “Exaccctttlllyyy. I kept my day job the entire time I was on the show because it paid better than the mega-hit TV show we were on.” And in speaking to The New Yorker, even more cast members claim they actually lost money by being on the show. Glenn had to pay for taxis to set. Actress Beth Dover had to fly herself out for multiple seasons of the show. Guerrero worked as a bartender to supplement her income while Lori Tan Chinn survived on food stamps until booking another gig on Comedy Central’s Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens. “They’re telling us, ‘Oh, we can’t pay you this much, because we’re pinching pennies,’” Dover said. “But then Netflix is telling their shareholders that they’re making more than they’ve ever made. We have not been fairly compensated by any stretch of the imagination.”
At one point during the show’s run, Netflix’s chief content officer (now CEO) Ted Sarandos threw a house party where he bragged that more people watched OITNB than Game of Thrones that year. The streaming platform is notorious for keeping its viewing numbers under lock and key. The cast’s reaction to the announcement was one of baffling anger.
“I remember all of us thinking, ‘Give us the money!’ But we were always saying, ‘Give us the money.’ We were keenly aware that we weren’t being paid,” DeLaria told the outlet of her residuals checks. “I get twenty dollars! I would love to know: How much money did Ted make last year?”
According to The New Yorker, Sarandos made $22 million that particular year.
(Via The New Yorker)