'Orange is the New Black' star Kimiko Glenn says she and her costars sometimes couldn't afford cabs to set, but were so famous they couldn't 'go outside'
"Orange is the New Black" star Kimiko Glenn said she sometimes couldn't afford cabs to set while filming.
She said on social media that actors deserve to get paid residuals every time someone streams their show.
SAG-AFTRA actors are fighting for a better residuals model for streaming originals while on strike.
In a video recently posted to social media, "Orange is the New Black" star Kimiko Glenn said she and some of her former castmates "couldn't afford cabs to set" while they were on the hit Netflix show, but they were so famous that some of them "couldn't go outside," without being recognized.
Glenn's video was reflecting on the attention she and some of her former costars have been getting after they participated in an article for The New Yorker explaining how poorly actors on streaming shows are paid in residuals compared to actors on network television.
@itskimiko @The New Yorker released an article the other day describing many of our cast’s experience on #orangeisthenewblack and the details will astound you. go to my IG for the link ???? #sagaftra #sagaftrastrike #sagstrike #sagaftrastrong ? original sound - kimiko
According to the SAG-AFTRA website, residuals are "additional compensation paid to performers when a production is shown beyond the original use covered by the initial compensation." For example, they are paid to actors when a network TV show is bought by a cable channel or a streaming service so they can air reruns.
Since original content has only been produced by video streaming companies like Netflix and Hulu in the last decade, actors on shows like "OITNB" currently get paid significantly less residual money than their peers on network TV shows. This is one of the reasons that SAG-AFTRA members are currently on strike.
"My tits live on in perpetuity, Glenn said in the video. "I deserve to get paid for as many fucking streams as that shit gets."
In response to commenters who asked if the "OITNB" cast got paid "up front" for their work, she replied: "We did not get paid very well, ever." She added that some of her cast members kept bartending jobs and relied on secondary sources of income to pay their bills.
"They were fucking famous as shit, like internationally famous, couldn't go outside, but had to keep their second job," an exasperated Glenn explained. "We couldn't afford cabs to set, you guys."
Glenn told The New Yorker's Michael Shulman that she developed a panic disorder as a result of the fame she experienced after starring in the Netflix dramedy, adding that sometimes she'd "get grabbed" by people.
Since appearing on "OITNB" as the small but mighty environmentally conscious inmate Brook Soso for 44 episodes from 2014 to 2019, Glenn appears to have focused on animated projects, per IMDb.
Another TikTok video Glenn posted in 2020 featuring her residuals statement for "OITNB" has been gaining attention since SAG-AFTRA announced its strike.
@itskimiko “New media” ???? #oitnb #royalties #paycheck #netflix #orangeisthenewblack #brooksoso #soso #kimikoglenn ? original sound - kimiko
"Oh my god, I'm about to be so rich," Glenn says in the video, which zooms in on a pink piece of paper that appears to be a foreign royalty check. Then she pans to the numbers, which show that Glenn sometimes only received one cent for episodes she appeared in as a recurring character. In the video, her earnings total $27.30.
Read the original article on Insider
