LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The actors have joined the writers at the picketing line. Close to 160,000 actors affiliated with the SAG-AFTRA have joined the protest bringing Hollywood to an indefinite halt for all practical purposes. While the protesting actors have been fighting for several reasons including better pay and the use of AI technology, one particular reason has been at the forefront. The protesters are extremely vocal regarding the distribution of the residuals from streaming services.
Earlier, when a show would have repeat telecast on TV, the actors would have gotten something from the profits generated. But with the advent of streaming platforms, the studios and networks have not yet come to any agreement with actors regarding the compensation from old shows watched by millions on such platfoms. This has led to the unionized members to advocate for the fair distribution of the residuals. One such vocal union member is the 49-year-old ‘Gilmore Girls’ star Sean Gunn.
Why is Sean Gunn protesting against Netflix amid SAG-AFTRA strike?
In a recent interview with The Wrap on Sunday, July 16, the brother of DC head James Gunn, Sean Gunn reprimanded Netflix as he claimed the streaming giant “operates in total secrecy,” saying, “You can rest assured that when a corporation is saying, 'We're keeping this information secret,' it's because they're screwing somebody over.” He further slammed Netflix for keeping the numbers secret and said that the money the performers deserve to get are instead getting distributed among the execs. In the interview, Gunn said that Netflix’s unwillingness to divulge the official numbers is “unconscionable.” It is a ploy to keep the performers away from getting a fair share in the residuals.
Gunn continued, “If I were a shareholder in Netflix I'd be real worried that Netflix is screwing me over. Why don't I get to see those numbers?” before adding, “I've heard people who are close to that side of the negotiating table who have said, 'Oh, at all costs they are never going to release those numbers.'” He also gave an example saying, “Can you imagine if I was a book publisher and I bought the rights to your book, and then you said, ‘Well, how many copies did I sell?’ and they said, 'Well, I’m not gonna tell you how many copies you sold, we’re just going to maintain the rights to sell it,'” before explaining, “It’s like, of course you should be nervous. Of course you should be afraid that you’re getting screwed over.”
Describing how an actor used to make money whenever a show was re-broadcasted, Gunn was against the way performers are getting paid less now, while the executives are becoming richer. He said, “The old model used to be that when a show went into syndication, you get a little bit of money for all of the viewings, for all the revenue that's pulled in, and that is totally changed,” and continued, “We see such a small percentage of that. Instead, that money now goes to bonuses for those CEOs and studio heads, and I just think it's [a] shame.”
'Share the wealth with people'
On Friday, July 14, the very day the protest started, Sean told The Hollywood Reporter that he “particularly wanted to come out and protest Netflix” because he felt he had not been compensated enough for ‘Gilmore Girls’. He explained, “I was on a television show called Gilmore Girls for a long time that has brought in massive profits for Netflix,” before adding, “It has been one of their most popular shows for a very long time, over a decade. It gets streamed over and over and over again, and I see almost none of the revenue that comes into that.” Gunn, who played the role of Kirk, further said in the interview, “You really need to rethink how you do business and share the wealth with people. . . Otherwise, this is all going to come crashing down.”
However, the interview video was taken down by the outlet’s social media channel. Talking to The Wrap regarding the same, Gunn said, “'The only sort of explanation I got for why it was taken down is that is that they said that my residuals aren't paid by Netflix, they're paid by Warner Brothers, the production company.”
He further added, “The whole point I was making was that we don't get the residuals that we deserve from Netflix,” and pointed out, “There's no participation in the success of the show. Because their numbers are hidden, because Netflix operates in total secrecy, we are totally unable to share when a show's a big success.”
