Mandy Moore Opens Up About Stark Reality Of This Is Us Residual Cheques Amid Actors' Strike
This Is Us star Mandy Moore has spoken candidly about pay for her work on the show, amid the ongoing actors’ strike in America.
Mandy is one of the hundreds of SAG-AFTRA members currently striking in Hollywood, after the actors’ union declared action would be going ahead last week.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Mandy – who played Rebecca Pearson in all six seasons of the award-winning drama – shared that she’s received residual cheques for as little as one cent since the show was acquired by the US streaming service Hulu, after its original run came to an end.
Mandy told the outlet: “The residual issue is a huge issue. We’re in incredibly fortunate positions as working actors having been on shows that found tremendous success in one way or another … but many actors in our position for years before us were able to live off of residuals or at least pay their bills.”
Noting she’s received cheques for as little as 81 cents (less than 63p), Mandy added: “I was talking with my business manager who said he’s received a residual for a penny and two pennies.”
Meanwhile, the same media outlet noted that fellow actor Katie Lowes, one of the top-billed cast members on the US drama Scandal, hadn’t received “anything substantial” in residuals since the show began streaming on Hulu or Netflix.
Explaining how residuals worked in the past compared to the present situation, Katie said: “If you are someone who has been fortunate enough in our positions to do 120-plus episodes of a successful show in previous years – 10, 15, 20 years ago – that [show] re-airing would be the thing that could sustain you on years where I did this smaller project or I wanted to go do a play or you have kids and you have a family to provide for.
“And that just not a reality anymore. The entire model has changed.”
Mandy spoke more about her situation in a follow-up Instagram post shared on Wednesday afternoon.
“I want to bring a bit more clarity to a very nuanced issue,” she said. “Striking isn’t fun. No one hoped it would come to this and I know everyone involved is hopeful for a resolution soon so folks can get back to work. The trickle-down effect felt across so many industries is already devastating.
“There are plenty of issues that are gumming up the wheels (transparency with data, wage increases, residuals, ai, etc…) and I spoke about one that happened to be top of my mind because of a conversation I’d been having while picketing.
“I fully acknowledge the profoundly lucky and rarified position I’m in as an actor at this moment, one that I don’t take for granted and one I also don’t assume to be in forever.
“Ours is a fickle industry and in my 20+ years of being a performer, my career has ebbed and flowed. I’ve had very lean years where I couldn’t get a job and those are precisely the moments when in years past, actors could rely on residuals from their past work to help them get by. The world and business have changed and I’m hoping we can find a meaningful solution moving forward.”
She concluded: “I am one person – a tiny part of our guild – and while I am happy to use whatever platform my past jobs have given me to speak to issues effecting my fellow [SAG-AFTRA] family, I know my experience is my own.
Here’s hoping we get a fair contract soon so we can get back to doing the jobs we all love and miss so much.”
Since the strikes began last week, stars from a number of high-profile TV shows have been open about the working conditions for jobbing actors.
Notably, cast members from Orange Is The New Black have been candid about the pay they received, with many holding onto day jobs while appearing in the prison drama.