David Denman at the London premiere of ‘Emancipation’.Photo:David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty for Apple
David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty for Apple
David Denman, who starred as Roy Anderson onThe Office,is speaking out about his experiences withNetflixand earning residual pay.
The actor, 49, spoke withThe Associated Pressin Los Angeles this week, explaining that whenThe Officewas the most-watched show on the streaming platform, his residual pay did not increase as a result of that viewership. (Residuals are compensation that actors receive as a result of the continued use of their work beyond its original air date.)
“Netflix, they created a model that everyone else followed, which is, ‘We’re gonna buy you out, we’re gonna pay for your services for a cycle, which could be three months.'” Denman said.
“And it doesn’t matter if you watch that show once or you watch it 100 times, you’re not gonna get any more money because more people watch it,” he continued.
Denman, who served on the picket lines for the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, added that “the only person that makes more money is the person who licensed that to Netflix.”
“So Universal [Studios] licensed that to Netflix. And when it was the No. 1 show on Netflix, they’re able to make a significant profit off of that. But that doesn’t trickle down to a blue-collar actor like me,” he detailed.
“I’m sorry, but it just doesn’t. And so, the model has to change,” added Denman.
A representative for Netflix did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
The Office— which aired on NBC from 2005 to 2013 — was officially removed from Netflix at the end of 2020 when it migrated to Peacock in January 2021.
David Denman and Jenna Fischer appear in a 2007 episode of ‘The Office’.NBC / Courtesy Everett Collection
NBC / Courtesy Everett Collection
SAG PresidentFran Drescherand Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator of SAG-AFTRA, announced the strike at apress conferencelast week following a “unanimous” vote, with Crabtree-Ireland sharing the studios “left us with no alternative” than to strike.
“The jig is up … We demand respect,“The Nannystar said. “You share the wealth, because you cannot exist without us.”
source: people.com
