Into It with Sam Sanders
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Sydney Sweeneys getting all sorts of recognition.
She got one Emmy nomination for her work onEuphoriaand another for her role onThe White Lotus.
She talked about being financially strapped even as a successful actress.
The internet did not like this take.
How dare this popular actress who lives in a$3 million homesay its tough to make ends meet?
McKinney asserts that some famous actresses really dont have much of a financial safety net, because America.
Whatever do you mean?Kelsey McKinney: Im a little bit obsessed with secret family money.
Or when they post, theyre posting pictures of themselves onstage.
Im working solely off of what she said, so thats a huge caveat here.
Sheisrich in comparison with most of the country.
Yes.This woman has so much money.
And she might be getting richer.
Shesslated to star in a Marvel film soon.
Thatll be some Marvel money.Exactly.
So huge caveats there.
But I think the point shes making is really good.
She says two things in the interview.
The first thing she says is, I dont get all the money I make.
Lawyer, agent, publicist, et cetera.Mmhmm.
Her stylist, her hair and makeup, the clothes that she wears, right?
All of those things cost money.
Well, then shes taxed too.Then shes taxed, exactly.
So she said all of this in the context of not having enough money to take six months off.
But the reason she said that is that she said, I really want to be a young mom.
You are fighting a group of people with a ton of power.
Yeah, Maya Hawke just became a star onStranger Things.
She just showed up.
I dont know what she was doing beforehand.Right.
And shes had that one role, right?
And if you look at her socials in comparison, its only self-promotion.
Its Heres a picture of me onJimmy Fallon.
People who make the creative work get paid less for it now than they did years ago.
Endeavor mogul Ari Emanuelmade $308 million last year.
Just him or the company?Just him.
Youve got to be lying.This is CEO-award money.
So this includes their salary and stock awards.
Discovery CEO David Zaslavtook home $246 million in total payfor one year of work.
No labor is worth that.
Lets call Sweeney a first-generation actress.
She feels financially insecure, even as she is very, very famous.
The first option is a stronger union.
There are a couple ways you’ve got the option to fix that.
You could go on strike, which generally works.
They could give them investment in the companies that theyre making money for.
They could pay them yearly wages instead of daily wages.
There are so many ways to do this, but no ones trying right now.
When I see these celebrities selling stuff now, what questions should I be asking?
But I think skepticism is always a good hat to wear when dealing with any rich person at all.
We should be looking at all celebrity spon-con with the same kind of judgment that we would give anyone.
Its very easy for me to say, Sydney Sweeney shouldnt post so many ads.
But shes getting judged for that.
And someone like Maude Apatow isnt, right?
Because she doesnt have to.
And thats the kind of divide that I think we should be wary of.
Who are you criticizing and why?
This interview excerpt has been condensed and edited for clarity.
