Aaron Paul has called out Netflix for not "paying people a fair wage."
The actor, who played Jesse Pinkman on all five seasons of "Breaking Bad," made his comments from the SAG-AFTRA picket line, where he was joined by a group of his former co-stars, including Bryan Cranston and Jesse Plemons.
"I don't get a piece from Netflix on 'Breaking Bad' to be totally honest," he said, according to the Associated Press. "And that's insane to me."
All 62 episodes of "Breaking Bad," which originally aired on AMC, are now available to stream on Netflix.
One significant disagreement in negotiations between actors and Hollywood studios centers on residuals — the earnings generated when projects are featured on streaming services and various distribution platforms. Many actors and writers receive minimal or no share of these payments.
"I think a lot of these streamers know that they have been getting away with not paying people a fair wage," Paul argued. "And now it's time to pony up."
Last month, Mandy Moore admitted that she received paychecks for less than $1 for her role on "This Is Us" after it went to a streaming platform.
The actor made the revelation while speaking with The Hollywood Reporter about her concerns over the issue of residuals.
"The residual issue is a huge issue," Moore explained. "We're in incredibly fortunate positions as working actors having been on shows that found tremendous success in one way or another … but many actors in our position for years before us were able to live off of residuals or at least pay their bills."
Moore explained that when it came to her work on the successful NBC series, in which she starred as the matriarch for six seasons, she received "very tiny, like 81-cent checks" for the show's streaming deal with Hulu.
"I was talking with my business manager who said he's received a residual for a penny and two pennies," she added.
Since July 14, SAG-AFTRA has been engaged in a strike, joining forces with the Writers' Guild of America, which initiated their strike on May 1.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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