Summary
- Emmy-winning actor Billy Porter claims that he was forced to sell his house due to the ongoing SAG-AFRTA strikes, which he has publicly supported.
- Porter blames major studios for his financial losses, accusing them of “starving him out” and not negotiating a fair deal with SAG-AFTRA.
- Porter believes that the payment structure for artists in Hollywood is outdated, especially with the rise of streaming platforms.
Emmy-winning actor and singer Billy Porter has recently revealed in an interview with the London newspaper, Evening Standard, that he was allegedly forced to sell his house due to the ongoing SAG-AFRTA strikes. The SAG-AFRTA strikes have been underway since July 14 due to the actors’ unhappiness with low residual payments from major studios.
Many prominent celebrity actors, including Seth Rogan, Bryan Cranston, Sarah Paulson, and Porter, have publicly supported the strike. Porter is mainly known for his FX series Pose and his lead actor role in the 2013 Broadway show Kinky Boots. Due to his support, Porter has stated that he has had to postpone many of his projects that were supposed to begin production this month. He has also revealed that he was forced to forgo his house.
“I have to sell my house. Yeah! Because we’re on strike. And I don’t know when we’re gonna go back. The life of an artist, until you make ‘f–k you’ money — which I haven’t made yet — is still check-to-check. I was supposed to be in a new movie and on a new television show starting in September. None of that is happening.”
Related: Billy Porter’s Best Movies and TV Shows, Ranked
The Actor Solely Blames Major Studios For Financial Losses
FX
Porter blames studios for “starving him out” of his house and not negotiating a fair deal with SAG-AFTRA. The actor refers back to a Deadline article in which an unnamed studio executive stated that studios should “allow things to drag on until union members start losing their apartments and their houses.” Porter also has adverse feelings toward Disney CEO Bob Iger, who remarked earlier this year that the strike demands were “unreasonable.”
“I don’t have any words for it, but: f–k you. That’s not useful, so I’ve kept my mouth shut. I haven’t engaged because I’m so enraged…When I go back, I will join the picket lines.”
The 53-year-old actor explained that the payment structure for artists in Hollywood is outdated due to the emergence of streaming platforms.
“In the late ’50s, early ’60s, when they structured a way for artists to be compensated properly through residual [payments], it allowed for the two percent of working actors — and there are 150,000 people in our union — who work consistently… Then streaming came in. There’s no contract for it…And they don’t have to be transparent with the numbers — it’s not Nielsen ratings anymore. The streaming companies are notoriously opaque with their viewership figures. The business has evolved. So the contract has to evolve and change, period.”
It should be noted that Porter is among the top percentage of recognized LGBTQ+ celebrity actors that have resources and connections available, unlike the majority of other LGBTQ+ actors in Hollywood. Porter allegedly has a net worth of $1 million, down from $5 million since earlier this year before the strikes. Additionally, Porter and his husband, Adam Smith, have recently separated after six years of marriage, which could also be a factor.
However, while other factors could have negatively impacted Porter, the studios’ refusal to negotiate is undoubtedly the leading cause of many artists and performers struggling financially.
You can view the original article HERE.
