Greer Grammer is used to seeing literal pennies appear in her bank account thanks to TV residuals.
“Let’s open some streaming residuals. So, I just got all these bad boys in the mail today and I figured since there have been so many discussions about streaming residuals with the SAG strike going on, that I would do some live opening on what mine actually are right now,” Grammer, 31, said in a Thursday, August 3, TikTok video.
Grammer, who is best known for her series regular role as Lissa Miller on MTV’s five-season dramedy Awkward, opened up the slew of envelopes on camera and revealed just how much she earned from the MTV hit being streamed. “Awkward, ‘Are You there God, It’s Me, Jenna.’ Total gross: .80 cents,” she said. “Oh, actually that’s what this [paystub] says but the check is actually for .50 cents.”
Grammer — who is the daughter of actor Kelsey Grammer and ex Barrie Buckner — went to explain why residual paychecks are so important for working actors’ livelihoods.
“It’s basically the closest thing we get to job stability,” Greer added, holding up additional checks for $.63, $.60, $.30 and $.68. “Residuals are so important because sometimes they can go toward our health insurance, helping us qualify for that. ‘Be an actor,’ they said; ‘You’ll make money, they said! Actually, let’s be honest, nobody said that. It’s called ‘starving artist’ for a reason.”
Greer captioned her video: “These are actually better than most — usually they’re for 0.01.”
In addition to ripping open her newly received paystubs, Greer further detailed how residuals have specifically helped her cover expenses over the years.
“Some years are more lucrative than others, like 2015 I finished a TV series and I did multiple movies, so that was like a good year for me,” the actress recalled. “And then there have been years where I’ve only booked two movies or one movie and my residuals are what help me, like, keep living my life so that I can audition and make acting my full-time job still.”
The SAG-AFTRA union — led by president Fran Drescher — authorized a strike in July after contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) came to a standstill. SAG-AFTRA had asked them to adjust residual funds so actors can benefit from successful streaming projects, as well as other terms regarding fair wages and the use of artificial intelligence, to better support their livelihoods. The Writers Guild of America are also on strike after the AMPTP did not agree to similar terms in their contracts.
