In light of the cast of The Big Bang Theory demanding more money I feel
this is an important issue to voice given they aren't the first and they won’t
be the last.
This kind of mentality in Hollywood is appalling. Nobody needs the amount of money those in Hollywood receive in a lifetime let along a year or per movie, especially when there are so many people struggling or going without. The Big Bang cast is currently reportedly on $350,000 an episode, which based on say 22 episodes a season is $7,700,000 a year; how is that not more than enough!
"According to the Bureau of Labour Statistics, the median wage for workers in the United States in December 2013 was $786 per week or $48,872 a year for a 40 hour work week."
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/glossary-a/a/average-salary.htm
So compared to their fellow US employees they are already earning over $300,000 more an episode than the average American does in a year. Do they not understand that people are struggling, that the minimum wage in the US is garbage? And sure they work long hours but so do doctors, nurses, cops, etc. Is there no compassion for the average person; the very roles that actors often take on to earn the exuberant amounts that they do? Shouldn't acting be about a love of the art, about expressing and sharing that love with the world, not egos and greed...
Consider if instead of increasing cast wages part of that money was redirected to the writers and crew (without them there wouldn't be a show), part was put back into the show and the balance was given to charity. Just imagine how much the world would change for the better if shows started donating to charities. They could even do so based on the show's theme:
This kind of mentality in Hollywood is appalling. Nobody needs the amount of money those in Hollywood receive in a lifetime let along a year or per movie, especially when there are so many people struggling or going without. The Big Bang cast is currently reportedly on $350,000 an episode, which based on say 22 episodes a season is $7,700,000 a year; how is that not more than enough!
"According to the Bureau of Labour Statistics, the median wage for workers in the United States in December 2013 was $786 per week or $48,872 a year for a 40 hour work week."
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/glossary-a/a/average-salary.htm
So compared to their fellow US employees they are already earning over $300,000 more an episode than the average American does in a year. Do they not understand that people are struggling, that the minimum wage in the US is garbage? And sure they work long hours but so do doctors, nurses, cops, etc. Is there no compassion for the average person; the very roles that actors often take on to earn the exuberant amounts that they do? Shouldn't acting be about a love of the art, about expressing and sharing that love with the world, not egos and greed...
Consider if instead of increasing cast wages part of that money was redirected to the writers and crew (without them there wouldn't be a show), part was put back into the show and the balance was given to charity. Just imagine how much the world would change for the better if shows started donating to charities. They could even do so based on the show's theme:
- · Medical shows to medical research;
- · Cop shows to law enforcement;
- · Law shows to help people who can’t afford representation;
- · Science based shows to the advancement of science;
- · School shows to education and;
- · Family shows to helping those in need.
And yes, we as viewers help compound this issue by watching the shows and
buying the merchandise, but that doesn't make it right. I for one feel the
behind the scenes is as important to a show/movie as the finished product I am
watching. This mentality gives me a bitter taste about shows I have otherwise
enjoyed, because the integrity and compassion of those involved is as important
to me as the story being told. It is why more than ever I am drawn to the world
of indie where story is more important than money and ego.
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