Actor, Billy Porter, revealed in a new interview that the SAG-AFTRA strike has started to impact him, forcing him to sell his house. He said he had to make the tough choice in order to save money while Hollywood is on an indefinite pause.
Billy Porter On The Strikes in Hollywood
Porter sat down with the Evening Standard to discuss his music career and intentionally stayed clear of conversations surrounding his film and television work. However, when the strike was brought up during the chat, he disclosed that he had to make some financial changes due to the ongoing shutdown. He even added that he was scheduled to work on a few projects during the summer that were stopped as a result.
“Yeah! Because we’re on strike. And I don’t know when we’re gonna go back [to work],” Porter said to the outlet. “I was supposed to be in a new movie, and on a new television show starting in September. None of that is happening. So to the person who said ‘we’re going to starve them out until they have to sell their apartments,’ you’ve already starved me out.”
He was referencing an article published in July by Deadline that quoted an anonymous Hollywood executive. In the article, the exec said that the studios would hold out on meeting with the WGA again until its members went broke.
Porter also blasted Disney CEO Bob Iger for an interview he gave at the Sun Valley Conference in July. The CEO said WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikers were not being “realistic” with their demands during the conversation. Currently, Porter is in the UK for his music but is anticipating heading back to the States to join his fellow peers on strike.
“But when I go back I will join the picket lines,” he continued. “If this sounds like, well, a millionaire trying to get more millions, Billy Porter has news for you. I have to sell my house.”