On the 28th August 2023 Aaron Paul was seen joining the picket lines as a member of SAG-AFTRA supporting the writer’s strike that remains ongoing in the United States.
Meeting up with fellow Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul stars, Aaron made himself available to talk to all media outlets to raise awareness of why the strike is happening.
Aaron Paul making headlines
In the days since he appeared on the picket line it’s fair to say one particular interview has grabbed the attention more so than any other, appearing across the world on numerous news sites. The 30 second clip show’s Aaron revealing that since Netflix has been showing Breaking Bad he hasn’t received any residuals/money, despite it continuing to be one of the most watched series on the platform.
It’s fair to say that social media commentary on this short soundbite has been varied, mostly supportive in the sense that on the whole people understand the weight behind Paul’s comment. Unfortunately, a small minority seem seriously ill-informed on the matter, but it has made for interesting reading and has highlighted exactly why the strike is happening right now, and how important it is to writers and artists.
Clearly what Aaron Paul said was not a personal attack on Netflix, it’s fair to say if AP had an issue with Netflix as a whole then Bojack Horseman, El Camino and more recently Black Mirror would likely not have happened. The issue also has nothing to do with what AP was paid already for his work on Breaking Bad, a deal he had with AMC when the show was being made.
The issue that is being highlighted is that if one of the main stars of Breaking Bad isn’t getting any residuals from the repeated success of BrBa on the Netflix platform, for over 10 years, then no one is, and for jobbing actors who may have only appeared in a handful of episodes are missing out on what was traditionally an income stream that enabled actors to keep their heads above water.
Residuals?
Not all actors are fortunate enough to land that one big job, it only happens to the lucky few and thankfully Aaron found himself a slice of that luck with the sheer weight of his talent. There are arguably equally talented individuals who sadly never get that luck, but they could keep doing the job they loved because if they could pick up enough guest roles, maybe grab a recurring character or two in popular series, then that work would help to support them in a system where your work would trigger payments for every airplay it received.
Not so long ago, actors would dream of working on a show that hit 100 episodes, that was a magic number that so many series would strive for. Hitting 100 meant syndication, cable channels and overseas networks loved series that had 100 episodes to block fill their schedules. If a show you worked on hit syndication you would see a regular payment coming in that could be the difference between you living on the breadline or being comfortable in your income.
Have you ever wondered why TV series now only last 1-2 seasons, or why we only see 10-12 episode seasons? That’s because the power of cable TV has dwindled, and the streaming services and TV on demand have grown strong. Streaming platforms see more value in a much hyped first season, that attracts new subscribers eager to view the highly marketed next-best thing – than the 3rd season of a show that won’t attract new subscribers (existing subscribers matter far less than new ones).
Raising Awareness
What needs to happen is a return to fair play. This isn’t the only reason for the strike, but it is something that needs to be discussed, along with the treat of AI replacing supporting actors and writer’s rooms altogether (a whole other issue that is purely designed to kill off the creativity in the arts). Aaron Paul has raised awareness on this one point, he used his fame and platform and it’s been great to see his influence has enabled this particular discussion to have the exposure it deserves.
For 10 years before BrBa Aaron Paul was that jobbing actor, picking up small roles, guest spots and as he freely admits in another interview from the day, he was surviving on residual checks, like so many other actors at the time. When he made that comment he wasn’t necessarily talking about himself, his own personal wealth shouldn’t even come into question with regards to the validity of his point – he’s speaking up for those actors who he worked with on BrBa, who maybe only appeared in one or two episodes but their contribution is just as much a part of the BrBa story – the same story that created a series that has earned Netflix a host of new subscribers for over 10 years, and yet none of that success on that platform, none of that money has ever found its way back to the little (but very important) guys.
That’s just not right.
Ignorant commentators online have remarked that mechanics, or builders don’t get money from cars or buildings they once built, every time someone uses them – and yeah, that’s true. But both mechanics and builders have enough work, as a rule, regardless of skill or talent, and can sustain regular day jobs with their profession that pays a weekly/monthly wage. If this wasn’t the case (for the majority) there would be no car or construction industry. If actors are expected to now follow the same thinking, the profession will die – and is dying as a result, because the work will never be there to sustain the industry in the same 9-5 format – all the streaming services have to do is play fair, if cable TV survived using on that model that supporting the talent behind the shows, why can’t the streamers?
That’s why Aaron Paul had to say what he said – because it’s not right, and the streaming companies have knowingly been getting away with it for years, so now it’s time to right the wrong. We do not want a world where acting and writing is done by artificial intelligence, on the whim of people who know computer code but lack the imagination to do things physically, relying on computers to fill in the blanks to make things happen, because it’s just easier for the suits to add up the numbers (profits) that way.
The Aaron Paul Fans Team stand with Aaron Paul, with the actors and the writers.
This article is the words and beliefs of Jilbo, one member of the Aaron Paul Fans team and are in no way speaking on behalf of, or representing Aaron Paul in any way – just to be clear, these are my thoughts only.
