Jeff Goldblum helps struggling actors
Jeff Goldblum gave a bunch of struggling actors a helping hand by hiring them to appear alongside him while he was guest-hosting 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' to make sure they are able to qualify for their health insurance.
Jeff Goldblum gave a group of struggling actors a helping hand by hiring them to appear alongside him on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!'.
The 'Jurassic Park' star guest-hosted the show this week and during Thursday night's (15.08.24) episode, he helped out the actors by giving them jobs - coming on stage to do an impression of the movie star - to give them the money and working hours they needed to qualify for their SAG-AFTRA union health insurance.
Jeff explained of the plan: "You may think that being a professional actor ... is both easy and glamorous and for some, it is, but the vast majority of actors are working class people just trying to make ends meet. They actually have to make a certain amount of money each year just to qualify for health coverage through the Screen Actors Guild, and that’s not an easy thing to do.
"Sometimes an actor can be so close to that threshold of earnings that they only need to land one more role to qualify. So tonight, I’m going to help a few actors who are in that very situation for real by casting them in a role on the show ...
"In fact, I have cast them all in the same role."
He then introduced a number of actors doing impressions of the host who had qualified for health insurance after being cast on the show. They told Jeff they were planning to use their coverage to get help including dental work, a check-up with a dermatologist and a podiatrist appointment.
Kerry Washington pulled a similar stunt back in 2022 when she guest-hosted the show and hired actors to come on the show and deliver a line to help them qualify for their insurance coverage.
During her appearance on the show, Kerry explained: "Acting is one of those jobs that seems very, very glamorous. Sometimes it is. But in reality, it can also be very tough. When I first started out, I had to supplement my income by being a substitute teacher, a yoga instructor, a hostess at a restaurant.
"So it meant a lot to me the first time that I qualified for that sweet Screen Actors Guild health insurance. Yes, really. Now I’m a proud member of the Screen Actors Guild, or SAG as we say in the biz, but in order to get SAG healthcare, you have to make a certain amount of money each year, which is not always easy to do.
"So, we invited a few fellow real actors to the show tonight who are very close to qualifying for coverage. And they will get there if they deliver just one more line of dialogue on TV."
