Nick Loeb said it was a “no-brainer” to premiere Roe v. Wade at CPAC in Orlando on Feb. 26 because the film, which he co-wrote and co-directed with Cathy Allyn, “aligns with the conservative message,” not to mention the first public appearance of Donald Trump since the election. But not everyone is happy.
After The Hollywood Reporter posted an interview with Loeb on Feb. 23, actress Susan LaBrecque reached out on social media to share concerns that she and as many as nine other actors have yet to be paid for their work more than two years after the job. The production filmed in New Orleans in 2018, and many of the actors are known to be local actors from the area who worked for scale.
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After receiving “every kind of excuse” from production, they ultimately took the issue to SAG-AFTRA which, per LaBrecque, investigated and sent it to arbitration. She says the judgment came down in their favor and they are now expecting to be paid scale rates with added fees, but that has yet to happen. THR reached out to SAG-AFTRA, but the union rep did not respond as of press time.
“Honestly, we have been patient, quiet and respectful, but not now,” LaBrecque explained last week. “We are people in New Orleans who audition and audition and we may get two days here, one day there. It’s about the principle. We pay our SAG dues and we expect to have the respect of getting paid for what we do. But it’s also the idea that they are going to hold a film premiere and everyone will pat them on the back for making this abortion film with certain values when there’s a bunch of us who haven’t been paid yet.”
Fellow Roe v. Wade actors Sherri Eakin and Brent Phillip Henry also confirmed they have yet to be compensated. Eakin said it was frustrating to see promotional materials pop up for the film ahead of its CPAC premiere. “The actors involved have been in constant contact with SAG’s legal department as we try to resolve this issue, but the production to date has not paid nor created a payment schedule to cover back payroll and late fees owed,” she said. “Even now as they claim they have reached some sort of ‘deal,’ we have not yet received an official payment schedule detailing when we will receive what is owed, or exactly how much has been calculated in late fees.”
Allyn responded to a request from THR and said that the issue has been resolved from the production side as they’ve released the funds to SAG as of Feb. 10. “They have the money and it’s up to SAG to release it.”
A version of this story first appeared in the March 3 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
