Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Makes “Historic” Donation to SAG-AFTRA Foundation
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson put his money where his mouth is to support his Hollywood peers amid the ongoing Screen Actors Guild — American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strike. The 51-year-old made a significant financial contribution to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, the nonprofit associated with the union, that assists actors in need.
SAG-AFTRA Foundation president Courtney B. Vance and executive director Cyd Wilson informed 2,700 of the union’s highest-earning actors that lesser-earning actors would need extra support while work is halted. The pair shared with Variety how the action star stepped up.
“We rely on donations and grants to provide services — we have been very fortunate that we raised enough money to be able to cover all of our programs,” Wilson explained to the outlet. “But when we hit a crisis like this and we’re going to spend millions and millions of dollars in financial assistance, this is when we need our high profile talent who can afford it, who are in a situation to help others.”
While the total amount of the Fast And Furious franchise star’s donation was not published, the 7-figure amount can possibly help thousands of actors in financial distress, which Vance believes to be 7,000 to 10,000 union members.
“It is a call to arms for all of us to know that we just have to step up however you can,” Vance detailed. “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. 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 — 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?’”
Wilson added “It’s the largest single donation that we’ve ever received from one individual at one time. And what is amazing is that that one check is going to help thousands of actors keep food on their table, and keep their kids safe, and keep their cars running. And it’s not lost on me that he’s very humble about this, but it is a way to get us started.”
According to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation website, to be eligible for emergency funds, members must be paid up on dues through October 2022, provide a copy of their current SAG-AFTRA membership card, show documentation of an unexpected life crisis, and required to prove an immediate financial need by providing bank statements, tax returns, bills, and other financial documentation.
“I want to thank Dwayne for his tremendous generosity, compassion, and initiative to step up in this significant and meaningful way for our community. On behalf of the thousands who will be helped by his historic donation, thank you, thank you, thank you,” shared Vance.
More from VIBE.com
