Dwayne Johnson at the 95th Annual Academy Awards held at Ovation Hollywood on March 12, 2023.Photo:Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty
Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty
Dwayne Johnsonis stepping up in a time of need for his fellow Screen Actors Guild Members.
On Monday,Varietyreported that Johnson, 51, donated an untold sum of money in the seven-figure range to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’sEmergency Financial Assistance Fundto assist many of the union’s 160,000 members with financial relief as itsstrike on major Hollywood productionscontinues.
Johnson’s contribution came after the non-profit’s presidentCourtney B. Vanceand its executive director Cyd Wilson reached out to 2,700 of the union’s highest-earning members and highlighted the financial needs many of its members will face after most movies and television shows halted filming on July 13.
“It was a love fest. It’s like, ‘Man, you’re stepping up in a way that is allowing others to know the dire necessity of it,' " Vance, 63, told the outlet of Johnson’s donation. “This is him saying, ‘In such a time as this, I’m here and I’m not going anywhere, whatever you need me to do.’ And that sends a huge message to other folks to do the same thing.”
Representatives for Johnson did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment Tuesday.
Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images
Wilson told the outlet that in extreme conditions, SAG-AFTRA members can receive up to $6,000 in emergency financial assistance. She said between 7,000 - 10,000 members will need these services during the strike.
“It is a call to arms for all of us to know that we just have to step up however you can,” Vance continued of Johnson’s contribution. “If your step up is $10, step up. Because that $10 is going to help somebody. If it’s $10,000, if it’s $10 million, step up, because we have to."
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“Everyone knows what happens when you go on strike, when you stand for something — as the saying goes, if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for everything,” he added. “You can’t stand unless you have support underneath you, on the side, up top and up front. So Dwayne is letting everyone know, ‘I’m here. What are you going to do?'”
Alberto Rodriguez/E! Entertainment/NBCUniversal/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty
Vance added a message of gratitude to Johnson “for his tremendous generosity, compassion, and initiative to step up in this significant and meaningful way for our community.”
Ahead of the strike, members of SAG-AFTRA had been seeking pay and residual increases, higher caps on pension and health contributions and regulating the use of artificial intelligence, among other things.
source: people.com
