Michael Bay Tells Whiny Actors He Will Match Donated Funds

by Ali Berman October 18, 2012
Categories: Animals, Causes, Film/TV
Tags: hugo weaving, michael bay.
Photo: s_bukley / Shutterstock.com

“Transformers” director Michael Bay is sick and tired of actors like Megan Fox, Shia Labeouf, and now Hugo Weaving criticizing a film that made them buckets of cash.

In fact, he’s so frustrated that he released a statement asking them to donate some of the cash they made from the supposedly unworthy film to rescue elephants.

Bay wrote (and then deleted) an open letter. He said:

“Do you ever get sick of actors that make $15 million a picture, or even $200,000 for voiceover work that took a brisk one hour and 43 minutes to complete, and then complain about their jobs?

With all the problems facing our world today, do these grumbling thespians really think people reading the news actually care about trivial complaints that their job wasn’t “artistic enough” or “fulfilling enough”? [...] What happened to people who had integrity, who did a job, got paid for their hard work, and just smiled afterward? Be happy you even have a job — let alone a job that pays you more than 98% of the people in America.

I have a wonderful idea for all those whiners: They can give their “unhappy job money” to a wonderful Elephant Rescue. It’s the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Africa. I will match the funds they donate.”

His open letter came after actor Hugo Weaving, the voice of Megatron, said that he only did the film for a paycheck. Weaving had said about his role on Transformers, “I don’t regret doing it, but I very rarely do something if it’s meaningless. It was meaningless to me, honestly. I don’t mean that in any nasty way. I did it. It was a two-hour voice job, while I was doing other things.”

Like Bay, we have a hard time feel bad for the actors. Maybe they’ll donate some funds. That would be a happy ending to this story.

Via Dlisted

About Ali Berman

Ali Berman is a writer, teacher and activist. She works as a humane educator for HEART teaching kids about issues affecting people, animals and the environment. Ali is also a fiction writer. Her published work can be found on her website at aliberman.com. In early 2012 Ali co-founded flipmeover, a production company with the mission to use media to raise awareness of social issues.

View all posts by Ali Berman →

Distriktus

Hugo Weaving just pointed out that the Transformers job was meaningless, that he did it purely for money. He didn’t complain, as Bay says, nor did he speak of it as “not artistic enough”. He just stated what everyone already knew. It’s a brainless popcorn flick for teenage boys. Bay himself has said that he makes movies for teenage boys. I don’t really see the problem. Now Bay wants to have his cake and eat it too with this charity thing. Why doesn’t he make movies that inspire people to be kind towards animals? Why are there Burger King product placements in his movies?
- http://www.facebook.com/sharonsquick Sharon Diane Quick
  
  I wouldn’t be biting the hand that feeds me because it can just as easily turn up empty, and these actors aren’t exactly Physicists..a couple of Neuroscientists maybe;)) but you get my point.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_VB66I4ESZMWJAQ4YT4IJ5V2YD4 TurdFerguson

Calling out the stars and turning a negative into a positive… didn’t like the movies but I respect Bay’s effort.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1415525 Jaya Bhumitra ?

oh this is cool because my mom sponsored a baby rhino and a baby elephant at the david sheldrick wildlife trust for me! great to see them getting some more love.
Robin Gage

I’ve worked with Michael Bay and found him to be sincere and genuine. I agree with him. I hate it when people in the movie business do it just for the money. Whatever happened to creativity?