Netflix wouldn’t be where it is today without Orange is the new black. Before becoming a streaming giant with global hits like very strange things And Wednesdaythe then fledgling streaming service hit its stride with a drama starring Taylor Schilling which centered on a typical law-abiding woman’s trip to prison. Recognized for his exploration of a prison system with a superb and diverse cast of female inmates, he showed that Netflix is poised to compete with cable and established TV networks. According to many actors in the play from New Yorkerthe Emmy-winning series was also an early example of the exploitative practices and unfair compensation that have plagued streaming over the past few years.
For seven seasons Orange is the new black became the most watched Netflix series at the time and the longest-running series. Despite the widespread popularity that turned his relatively unknown all-female ensemble into superstars almost overnight, many of the “regular guest stars” series were paid terribly. Stars who have spoken out, including Kimiko Glenn, Emma Miles, Beth Dover, Alicia Reiner, Diane Guerrero, Taryn ManningAnd Lea Delaria, revealed that they were paid SAG’s minimum daily rate of less than $900 a day, and many had to stay in their day jobs to continue appearing on the show. “It actually cost me money to be in seasons 3 and 4 because I was hired by a local box office and I had to fly on my own etc,” Dover added. “But I was so excited to be on a show that I loved, so I took the hit. It’s crazy.”
Glenn showed how small the residual value of a streaming series is. While reruns on network TV can keep some actors alive for years, as is the case with Friends, streaming gives almost nothing to those who have contributed. When Netflix went global, things only got harder and less lucrative as the opportunities to make money on overseas networks dwindled. Glenn took to TikTok in 2020 to show off the permanent compensation she received for her 44 episodes on the show as Brooke Soso, which was just $27.30. Miles, who appeared in 54 episodes, has only made about $20 this year from the show’s leftovers, compared to about $600 a year from several others. Law and order guest appearances. This pay disparity is a major reason why SAG has gone on strike as the balance has been almost completely removed from the live streaming actor’s salary and the salary remains at the minimum.
Netflix took advantage of its cast despite record profits
The cast were disappointed as the show’s success led everyone to believe they were super-rich megastars while also being forced to work day jobs, which a fellow actor said Matt McGorry noted that they often pay more than the show. “So many of my friends, who have almost a million subscribers who make billions of dollars in franchises, don’t know how to make money from rent,” Glenn added. However, it wasn’t all Netflix. Lionsgate, which produced the series, decided to pay up front for the series and pledged to pay the bare minimum. Supporting cast fees have never exceeded $15,000 per episode throughout the life of the show. While some of them will eventually become series regulars who will receive higher compensation, Lori Tan Chin, one of many struggling to make ends meet, considered going on food stamps because of how little she made. Attending awards even became a burden for actors because traveling and preparing for events were expenses they could hardly afford due to their meager salaries.
All the more embarrassing for OITNB the cast consisted of Netflix openly boasting about their profits by selling them lies about not having enough money. “They tell us, ‘Oh, we can’t pay you that much because we’re reaping a penny,'” Dover recalled. “But then Netflix tells its shareholders that they are making more money than ever. We have not received fair compensation under any circumstances.” Even though Netflix is now sharing its streaming hours, it has made sure that any rating figures for the show are not known to the general public until after it has ended, although the CEO Ted Sarandos barely kept it a secret, gloating that the show had gotten more attention than Game of Thrones. Even the creator Jenji Kohan didn’t know exactly what the show was pulling, even if Sarandos’ popularity and ostentation confirmed it was a metric ton. At the end of Season 5, many of the cast weren’t even sure of their status on the show as it split the cast, leaving many waiting for a call to Netflix, sacrificing opportunities that had come along in the meantime.
Orange is the new blackproblems are now widespread in live streaming
As SAG-AFTRA pickets for better conditions for actors, accounts OITNB the cast is proof of why the actors fight. The whole reason the union is picketing along with its WGA brothers is to secure higher wages and compensation in pensions and health care from streaming companies that continue to pay less and get a bigger piece of the pie for the executives at the top and wealthy shareholders. among others. protection. Leftovers are the key to this. Given how many viewers watch the biggest shows on a platform like Netflix, bringing the leftovers in line with theatrical and linear network releases would be a monumental step towards making the industry fair for everyone who works in it.
Read the full explanation of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike here on Collider to find out what the unions are fighting for specifically in the studios.
Source: Collider
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