Hollywood icon Julia Roberts, star of Pretty Woman and Erin Brockovich, is the latest big-name actor to financially back her striking colleagues.
The Oscar-winning actress is auctioning off a private meet-and-greet over lunch for a fan and one guest, in a bid to raise cash for those who cannot work because of the ongoing writers’ and actors’ strikes.
Funds raised from the lunch—which includes a meal, 90 minutes with Roberts, and a photo op—will go to the Entertainment Community Fund and the Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF), both of which are supporting actors and writers on the Hollywood picket lines.
The meeting with Roberts is expected to raise around $40,000, according to Charity Buzz, the site that’s auctioning off the lunch with the movie star. Bidding ends on Aug. 22, and has already reached $15,000.
“The lunch will support the Entertainment Community Fund and the Motion Picture & Television Fund’s work to provide financial assistance to film and television workers affected by work stoppages or other pauses in industry work,” the listing page says.
Actors’ union SAG-AFTRA, which comprises some 160,000 members, went on strike last month over pay, working conditions, and concerns related to the use of A.I. In the film industry.
It joined the Writers Guild of America—a union representing thousands of Hollywood writers, who haven’t worked since early May—marking the industry’s biggest shutdown in more than six decades.
With many unionized entertainment workers struggling financially as picketing drags on, organizations like the SAG-AFTRA Foundation and MPTF have been stepping in to provide emergency assistance for those in the industry.
In a statement emailed to Coins2Day over the weekend, Cyd Wilson, executive director of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, said the organization was “so happy [Roberts] is supporting everybody.”
Since the strikes began, Roberts has also donated $1 million to the foundation’s Emergency Financial Assistance Program, its spokesperson told Coins2Day on Monday.
Stars pulling together for striking workers
She isn’t the only A-lister to contribute a huge sum to fundraising efforts, however.
Earlier this month, five-time Emmy winner and Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane donated $1 million to the Entertainment Community Fund, one of the organizations Roberts’s auction is supporting.
Meanwhile, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson made a “historic” seven-figure donation to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation last month after the organization appealed to its “high-profile talent” members for financial help.
George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Ryan Reynolds are also among the A-listers who have donated more than $1 million to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s emergency hardship fund.
The organization’s president, Courtney B. Vance—an Emmy Award–winning actor himself—announced earlier this month that the SAG-AFTRA Foundation had raised more than $15 million in just three weeks for its financial assistance program.
“I remember my days as a waiter, cleaner, typist, even my time on the unemployment line,” Meryl Streep said in a statement alongside the announcement.
“In this strike action, I am lucky to be able to support those who will struggle in a long action to sustain against Goliath. We will stand strong together against these powerful corporations who are bent on taking the humanity, the human dignity, even the human out of our profession.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include details on Julia Roberts’s donation to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation.
