Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has made a historic donation to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation (a charity associated with the union but not a part of it) after its president, Courtney B. Vance, wrote to over 2,000 of its highest-paid members, according to Variety.
He told the publication that Johnson reached out and they spoke on the phone and Vance was “heartened” by the generous amount, the exact sum of which is being kept under wraps—although Sky News reports that it’s a seven-figure number.
This follows the writers’ strike, which began in May, and the actors who joined them earlier this month, adding their support to the strike over both pay and concerns around AI.
“It was a love fest,” said Vance. “It’s like, ‘Man, you’re stepping up in a way that is allowing others to know the dire necessity of it. This is him saying, ‘In such a time as this, I’m here and I’m not going anywhere, whatever you need me to do.’ And that sends a huge message to other folks to do the same thing.”
Cyd Wilson, the charity’s executive director, said that “in situations like this” they need help from their highest-paid members. “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. 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.”
Wilson explained, “It’s the largest single donation that we’ve ever received from one individual at one time.”
The charity’s grants can go as high as $1,500 per member, but Wilson says that in extreme circumstances like a strike, it can go over $6,000. He estimates that members needing financial assistance could be between 7,000 and 10,000 so The Rock’s donation will likely go on to help thousands of actors and writers at this difficult time.
Their Emergency Financial Assistance Program was used during COVID-19 and is being used once again to help during the strike. During the pandemic, it helped 160,000 actors.
In an Instagram post, the Foundation thanked the actor saying, “Thank you to @therock for his extraordinary generosity with the most historic donation to date at the SAG-AFTRA Foundation! You’re helping thousands of @sagaftra actors and families in urgent need—and taking the lead for others to follow.”
(featured image: Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)
