'Matilda' star Mara Wilson, 'Orange Is the New Black' cast member Kimiko Glenn, and more actors are revealing how little money they make as the SAG-AFTRA strike rolls on

Mara Wilson began acting as a child, starring in hit movies like "Matilda," "Miracle on 34th Street," and "Mrs. Doubtfire." In 2000, she took a break from acting but returned as an adult, guest starring in shows like "Bojack Horseman" and "Big Hero 6: The Series."

Last week, Wilson tweeted that despite acting in these shows, she has not made enough "to qualify for SAG-AFTRA healthcare."

Numerous actors have said that the minimum an actor must earn to qualify is $26,000 a year.

"I haven't acted much as an adult, but I WAS on a recurring character on one of the most critically acclaimed animated shows of all time, as well playing an actual Disney villain," Wilson wrote. "But thanks to streaming, I have never once made enough to qualify for SAG-AFTRA healthcare."

Last week, The New Yorker published an article about how little some of the cast members of "Orange Is the New Black" were paid — despite appearing on the Emmy award-winning hit Netflix show.

The article referenced a TikTok video Glenn first posted in 2020. In the video, Glenn showed a letter notifying her of all the residuals she received from appearing in 44 episodes of "OITNB." The total was $27.37.

The article also mentioned that Emma Myles, another actor on the show, was paid under $900 for a day of filming.

However, in an Instagram post, Glenn said that half of that pay would not actually go to the actors.

"We don't make $900/day. $900 per day of shooting. That happened about twice every two weeks. So take away taxes, commissions – that nets you about $450 for that one day of shooting," Glenn wrote. "And assuming you work four days a month – we're talking $1800 for a months work, and you live in New York City. That doesn't make rent."

She continued: "Also, once we started getting paid a little more, we started getting taxed as if we made that episodic rate in one day, often taking away 55% of our paycheck. 20% for agent/manager commissions. Some people have lawyers (5%), some people had to pay publicists ($2-6k/month no guarantee for any press coverage). There's a lot of misplaced outrage in these comments. $900 for one day of shooting is epically low for someone who is recurring on a hit television show, where they are contractually obligated to stay available 6 months out of the year."

In response to Glenn's video, Matt McGorry commented, according to the New Yorker: "Exaccctttlllyyy. I kept my day job the entire time I was on the show because it paid better than the mega-hit TV show we were on."

McGorry starred in 25 episodes of the hit show.

Beth Dover also responded to Glenn's TikTok video, per the New Yorker: "It actually COST me money to be in season 3 and 4 since I was cast local hire and had to fly myself out, etc. But I was so excited for the opportunity to be on a show I loved so I took the hit. Its maddening."

Dover was in 36 episodes of "OITNB."

Dover told the New Yorker that the cast "have not been fairly compensated by any stretch of the imagination."

"They're telling us, 'Oh, we can't pay you this much, because we're pinching pennies,'" she said. "But then Netflix is telling their shareholders that they're making more than they've ever made."

Myles told the New Yorker that while she gets around $600 a year in residuals from guest spots on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," she only received around $20 for "OITNB" this year, despite appearing in 54 episodes. 

Myles also said she had to work for a financial firm while filming the show, acting in live simulations for aspiring financial planners.

She recalled one financial planner told her over the phone: "You sound exactly like the Amish meth head on 'Orange Is the New Black.' Has anyone ever told you that?"

Sean Gunn slammed Netflix last week for the lack of residuals he has received for his role in the show as the series continues to be a success on the streamer.

Gunn told The Hollywood Reporter on the first day of the SAG-AFTRA strike: "I was on a television show called 'Gilmore Girls; for a long time that has brought in massive profits for Netflix. 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."

While Warner Bros., which produced the show and licensed it to Netflix, is responsible for residual payments to those who qualify, Gunn clarified on Twitter that he still thinks the cast should get a "share" of the "millions of dollars in profits" the streamer has made from the show.

"Big Time Rush" star Stephen Kramer Glickman tweeted that he has received no residuals from the show's streaming deals with Netflix and Paramount+.

"For those of you trying to understand the SAG strike…here is a little info for you. BIG TIME RUSH played on Netflix for two years and then got moved to Paramount +," Glickman wrote. "Any guesses on how much I was paid by Netflix and Paramount + in residuals? I'll give you a hint. It's $0."

Constance Marie posted a video on TikTok in which she said that the industry needs to update the residuals system to fit the streaming model so that actors can get paid enough to sustain a living.

Marie then shared part of her own residuals from "Switched At Birth," which she starred in across 104 episodes.

"I did that show for five years. Great cast. Great writing. So the studio is still showing my show, my work, my likeness, and this is what I get paid for it," she said in the video. "3 cents, 4 cents, 74 cents." 

Marie did not give a full total but added: "I can't make a living. They're still making money but I can't make a living and pay my rent and pay my insurance off of these residuals."

Kamil McFadden, one of the lead actors on Disney Channel's "K.C. Undercover" tweeted a video showing that he in fact made minus figures in residuals from some episodes of the hit show.

"Wanna see something crazy? Y'all ever seen negative amounts on your residuals? The full video is almost two minutes long and I'm only netting $2.77. The math ain't mathing," he wrote in the tweet.

Last week, "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" star Luke Cook responded to a complaint on TikTok that the strike was just "millionaires striking to be even bigger millionaires."

Cook said that 95% of union members were not big stars making millions of dollars and the strike was for those people to be able to afford a livable wage.

Cook said in the video that while appearing on Hulu's "Dollface," he was paid $7,500 an episode, which required "two weeks of work" per episode.

"Then it's taxed. Then a manager takes 10%, an agent takes 10%, and a lawyer takes 5%," he added. "Now, I am one rung below a series regular, who is making maybe $100,000 per episode. They're very wealthy and they're worth it, too. They're usually very talented people."

"I shouldn't have to have two side jobs just in order to survive," Cook continued.

Mica Burton, the daughter of "Star Trek" star LeVar Burton, tweeted about how little she got paid when she appeared in five episodes of "Star Trek: Picard" earlier this year.

In response to a thread regarding misconceptions about the union, Mica wrote: "Please read this thread. I said before, there is no way I could survive as a working actor if I didn't have my 100 other side hustles. Yes, I was on Star Trek. I also do not qualify for SAG health insurance and was paid almost the same fee my dad was paid for Roots back in 1977."

In her latest TikTok video, Heather Matarazzo shared a screenshot showing some of her recent residuals, which included earning just 6 cents and 9 cents for certain projects.

"Really? Really?" she said in the video. "Do those look like elite numbers? I am a working-class actor, sir, as are the majority of the actors that are in the fucking union."

Desmond Chiam only appeared in one episode of "Bones," however, he tweeted last week that he was paid a lot more for a nonspeaking role on that show than most of the streaming shows that he has worked on.

"Let me put it this way: my first gig was a non speaking, $2k role on Bones, a network show, and in residuals I'd say I've made close to 3x that amount," he wrote. "On any other streaming gig I've made fractions of my pay. We're talking a few hundred, maybe."

Chiam has had recurring roles in popular Disney+, Amazon Prime and Netflix shows like "Partner Track," "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," and "With Love."

Kendrick Sampson has appeared on several hit shows such as "The Vampire Diaries," "Insecure," "The Flash," "How to Get Away with Murder," and "Supernatural."

However, in a post on the Threads app, which he later shared on his Instagram, Sampson said that he has received $86 dollars from 50 of his latest residual checks.

"Story time: Goin through a tough time like so many people in our industry and everywhere right now," he wrote in the post. "Last week, I get news that I've received 56 residual checks. I prayed that these are HEALTHY checks to get me through this time. But lo and behold - 50 (yes FIFTY! FIVE, ZERO) checks into counting, I had to take a break because… the total was $86. This is that bullshit."

He added: "And I KNOW people are struggling much more than me! Shit has to change - This is why we strike."

Ahead of the strike, Disney CEO Bob Iger said on CNBC's "Squawk Box" that striking actors and writers' demands are "not realistic."

In response, Brock Powell, who has been a voice actor on numerous Disney shows, tweeted that he was paid $53.49 in residuals for appearing in 48 episodes of a Disney show.

"THIS is my grand total for 48 episode airings for a show produced during the early pandemic. We kept the industry going when no other productions could," Powell wrote. "Animation actors, writers and artists deserve a fair share & better treatment."

He added a day later: "Update: while we're talking about residuals for streaming/physical media. Found out I was 'paid' a NEGATIVE PENNY on a check… taking the measly one cent I was previously given for a full episode airing BACK."

Kylie Sparks also responded to Iger's comments about the actors' strike.

In their response, they wrote: "I'm on one of Netflix's most loved series this season and I will receive zero dollars in residuals and I was paid a tenth of my guest star quote that didn't even cover my rent, Bob, so GFY."