Actresses Embrace Reiki, Recording, and Teaching to Alleviate Financial Strain Amid Strikes

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Actresses Embrace Reiki, Recording, and Teaching to Alleviate Financial Strain Amid Strikes

Actors Ashli Haynes, Holly Cinnamon, and Kyra Jones are feeling a mix of emotions – anxious, tired, and frustrated. It’s been over 120 days since the WGA went on strike and more than 50 days since SAG-AFTRA walked off set. This strike has caused a major disruption for everyone involved. Talks have resumed between the WGA and the AMPTP, but there’s still no end in sight. Film and television productions are on hold, leaving many people struggling to make ends meet.

Financial struggles and job insecurity have always been concerns for those in the entertainment business, but the strikes have made these worries even worse. Despite the stress and anxiety it causes them, Haynes, Cinnamon, and Jones believe it’s important to fight for what is fair.

FilmmakerFocus has been there from the beginning, supporting the writers and actors on the picket lines and giving them a platform to express their frustrations. Haynes, Cinnamon, and Jones, who is also a member of the WGA, spoke to FilmmakerFocus about their experiences during the strikes, their thoughts on AI, and how they’ve been managing financially. They also shared some shocking information about their time in the entertainment industry.

One of the stories they shared is about Ashli Haynes and her experience with residuals. Haynes had a breakthrough role in the series “Leimert Park,” which premiered at Sundance in 2018. She was thrilled to have a lead role and to work with Homegrown Pictures and Macro. The show later became a BET+ original.

In addition to “Leimert Park,” Haynes also had a recurring role as Courtney in the BET series “Twenties,” produced by Lena Waithe. She appeared in five out of eight episodes in Season 1 and three episodes in Season 2. Haynes said it was something she had manifested.

The first season of “Twenties” premiered in March 2020 and was renewed for a second season. However, shooting was delayed due to the Covid pandemic. Haynes found that the lack of timely payments was even more daunting than the uncertainty of shooting during the pandemic. According to industry standards, actors are supposed to receive their initial payment two weeks after the episode wraps, and residual payments should come in between one to four months after the episode airs.

But she claims that didn’t happen for her and the cast, saying no one received any residual payments for the first season until they were gearing up to shoot the second. “Then all of a sudden those checks were in the mail,” she added. “Even though the second season of Twenties aired in December of 2021, we still have not been paid residuals for the second season.” The series has not officially been canceled, but it also has yet to be renewed.

Haynes said that now with the current strikes, the situation has grown even more challenging for writers and actors and others trying to make a living. “I am stressed out. I have bills to pay,” she added. “However, the strike has been a long time coming, and I believe in fighting for justice and fighting for what’s right.”

To help, Haynes set up her own business — a mobile spiritual shop called The Star Magic School Bus. The business offers services like tarot readings, Reiki, sound healing, and selling spiritual goods; she calls it her “refuge.”

For Haynes, she believes that television and film have to be a “collaborative effort.” “People at the top have to give a shit about everyone regardless of status. Without mutual support, the magic of cinema and television wouldn’t exist.”

We reached out to BET on the issue of residual payment, but they declined to comment.

Holly Cinnamon and the Five-Month Hold

Canadian actress Cinnamon got her break starring in Netflix’s Marvel series Daredevil. She played Julie Barnes, the object of Bullseye’s obsession, which allowed her to join SAG-AFTRA.

“I didn’t know a lot at that point,” she admitted. “I just joined immediately once I knew I had the job.”

She said that the lack of clarity around pay provided a “crash course” into the industry’s complexities. “With Daredevil, I had to put my schedule on hold for five months, and I couldn’t book any other work,” she said. They often want you to hold a bunch of time that they’re not paying you for, and you only get paid once you are on set for that day or week.

“There was an episode where the casting director reached out to me and mentioned there was a reading of the script for the episode I was going to be in,” Cinnamon continues. “It was unpaid but optional. However, the casting director also told me the entire cast would be there, and the studio execs would be on a call. I could not get a copy of the script without going to this ‘optional’ and unpaid meeting.”

She added that working for free was “frustrating” and the unpredictability of residual income made consistent financial planning tricky. “I think the highest residual check I’ve gotten was just under $4,000,” she said. “The lowest one I’ve gotten was one cent. I never know how much it’s going to be, and I don’t know how it’s calculated. We need more transparency.”

She believes that the strikes are crucial for the industry’s future, though she admitted that she’s struggling. “I don’t have any security,” Cinnamon said. “I don’t have a huge store of savings if this strike lasts until the fall. I need to work to continue to pay my rent. I am going back to teaching yoga in hopes that will keep me afloat.”

She also highlights other issues including AI.

“I just don’t think AI can be a part of the creation process,” she said. “If there’s no humanity in something essentially about human storytelling, what kind of quality material can it produce?”

Cinnamon remains proactive and is working on her first studio album under her label The Female Gayze.

She hopes for a quick resolution and more information on determining pay. “I hope for more transparency and consistency around standard pay, residuals pay, and how it’s calculated,” she said. “I want to see breakdowns of all the numbers.”

Kyra Jones and the AI Paradox

Jones joined SAG-AFTRA in 2020 after landing a coveted role alongside Taraji P. Henson in the series finale of Empire. “I was in an episode of Chicago Justice, a Wingstop commercial that paid well, but what got me into SAG was Empire,” she said. Jones also was in Showtime’s The Chi and has worked as a writer on series including ABC’s Queens and Hulu’s Woke.

She made her writing debut in 2021 but didn’t stop at acting. “I got staffed on the show Woke. That writers room was exactly 12 weeks, which is how many weeks you need to write on to get into the WGA and get health insurance,” she said.

She said her experiences unveiled the cracks in the system. “For most actors, unless you’re a series regular,”You know, when it comes to acting, it’s either a day rate or getting paid per episode. But with writing, it’s a whole different ballgame. It could be a weekly rate,” explained Jones. Residuals, however, proved to be a major headache. “I haven’t seen a single residual for The Chi,” Jones revealed. “My agents had to really go after that.” The lack of residuals has left her concerned about losing momentum due to the strikes.

“Not having consistent work has really taken a toll on me,” she admitted. “I’ve practically drained my savings and racked up a huge amount of credit card debt.” Thankfully, she does have a backup plan to help with rent. “I have a part-time job at Northwestern University that’s been a lifesaver,” she said with relief. Jones also expressed her worries about the rise of AI in the industry. “Studios are more interested in quantity than quality. They’d rather pay for AI than humans,” she lamented.

“I fear that well-known writers, who are mostly straight white men, will survive while those on the fringes will be left behind,” she voiced her concerns. “If AI were to replace someone, would it be an executive or a writer? Clearly, it’s the executives.” Despite the challenges, Jones did find a silver lining in the strikes. “I find joy in the solidarity among fellow writers and the opportunity to meet people I wouldn’t have crossed paths with otherwise.”

Max Hensley

Max, a film journalist and screenwriter originally from Melbourne, Australia, brings a global perspective to his writing. Having studied film at RMIT University, he enjoys exploring the cultural impact of cinema and highlighting the unique storytelling approaches from diverse film industries around the world.

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