Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson Donates Unprecedented 7 Figures To Striking Actors
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Actor and retired professional wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has donated an unprecedented “seven-figure” amount to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation amid the actors union’s strike, a representative for the support fund told HuffPost on Monday.
The Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists has been on strike since July 13, joining the ongoing Writers Guild of America East and West strike to demand equitable pay and improved work conditions in Hollywood.
Of the 160,000 SAG-AFTRA members, roughly 2,700 of the union’s highest earners received a letter from the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s president, Courtney B. Vance, and executive director, Cyd Wilson, detailing the need for financial assistance amid the work stoppage.
Johnson’s seven-figure donation is the largest lump sum the foundation has received from a single donor since it was founded in 1985, a representative told HuffPost, referring to it as a “milestone.”
Dwayne Johnson arrives at the Oscars on March 12, 2023.
The exact amount of Johnson’s donation has not been disclosed. However, Wilson told Variety, which first reported the news on Monday, that the sum will likely help thousands of members through the union’s Emergency Financial Assistance Program.
“It is a call to arms for all of us to know that we just have to step up however you can,” Vance told Variety. “Dwayne is letting everyone know, ‘I’m here. What are you going to do?’”
A representative for Johnson did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misidentified the organization that received the donation. It is the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, a group associated with the union. Language has also been amended to clarify the number of union members expected to benefit from the donation.
