The stars of Breaking Bad have been speaking out in support of the SAG-AFTRA strike, and Aaron Paul says it’s time for streaming services like Netflix to “pony up” what’s owed.
Per The Independent, Paul had joined other stars of Breaking Bad on the picket line to further throw their support behind the striking actors. One major complaint that many of the striking actors have had relates to residuals (or lack thereof) that they’re paid for streams of movies and TV shows they appear in. This is something Paul says he understands, as Breaking Bad has been one of the most-streamed titles on Netflix for years, and yet the actor says he doesn’t get anything from the company despite his playing a main character in all five seasons.
“I don’t get a piece from Netflix on Breaking Bad to be totally honest and that’s insane to me,” Paul is quoted as saying. “I think a lot of these streamers know that they have been getting away with not paying people a fair wage and now it’s time to pony up.”
Bryan Cranston, who co-starred in Breaking Bad as Walter White, also weighed in. He said that Netflix and Sony are “not villains,” nor are the actors trying to make them out to be. Cranston explained, “We’re not making them the enemy. They are not villains. These are people that we all will be working with once again at some point. We just want them to see reality.”
Striking Actors Call for Higher Residuals
“Once the higher-ups sort of come back to Earth and come back to reality I really do feel that we’re going to find a common ground and march forward in this,” Cranston has also been quoted as saying on the picket line, per Deadline. “That’s how we paid our bills… residuals, international residuals, DVD sales and things like that but those things are gone.”
There has been a heavier focus on paying out more for residuals, given how much the landscape has changed. There are others who’ve been slamming Netflix and other streamers for low or no pay when it comes to residuals, with cast members of Orange Is the New Black among those publicly criticizing this aspect of how Netflix treats acting talent. Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo has also called out Netflix for not paying out proper residuals to actors.
Source: The Independent
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