Unscripted Struggles: The Reality of Acting in South Africa

For the public, acting in South Africa looks like a dream job: red carpets, television premieres, glossy magazine covers, and a growing global audience thanks to Netflix and Showmax. But behind the lights and the glamour is a reality that is anything but cinematic. 

In South Africa, an actor’s contract often reads more like a warning than a work agreement. On paper, it outlines the job; in practice, it locks performers into outdated terms that strip them of rights, royalties, and leverage. The cracks are so deep that even as local productions hit global screens, the very people driving these stories are left behind.

Actors here work under a “one-and-done” system: a day’s wage and nothing more, no matter how successful the show or film becomes. Performers on hit Netflix or Showmax series can see their faces stream to millions worldwide, yet their pay remains frozen in time. Unlike their counterparts abroad, they have no residuals, no royalties, no recognition of the long tail of their work. This results in a career that looks glamorous on screen but, financially, is deeply unsustainable.

The Union Vacuum

Part of the problem lies in labour protections that don’t exist in practice. South African actors aren’t legally permitted to strike, leaving them without one of the most powerful tools their international peers can wield. Organisations like SAGA, the South African Guild of Actors, are fighting to give performers a collective voice, but years of limited resources and fear of blacklisting have kept many from speaking up. Without a unified push, reforms stall, and the status quo holds.

The Streaming Irony

South Africa’s creative output has never had more global reach. Netflix, Amazon, and Disney are commissioning local stories at a pace that once seemed impossible. But the streaming boom has sharpened the disparities: while Hollywood actors now negotiate directly with studios for residuals and AI safeguards, their South African counterparts are still locked into contracts written for an era before streaming even existed. The very success of local shows has made the gap between “global stage” and “local pay” impossible to ignore.

The Price of Talent

The South African entertainment industry has no shortage of talent, only a shortage of fairness. Actors continue to carry stories that captivate the world, yet their contracts keep them tethered to outdated rules and broken economics. Until protections, royalties, and real collective power become standard, the people who bring these stories to life will remain the least rewarded for their success.