Non-binary actor Jack Haven has thanked supporters after their public plea for work went viral, saying they have now received multiple offers.
Haven, known for Atypical, I Saw the TV Glow and Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, posted an update to YouTube after their original video asking for work was widely shared online.
In the original video, Haven revealed that they needed to earn another $4,000 through SAG-covered work before the end of September to qualify for health insurance through the Screen Actors Guild-AFTRA Health Plan.
“I will do pretty much any job,” they said.
‘Thank you for your love and kindness’
After less than a week of going viral and generating mass messages of support, Haven has revealed they’ve received “a lot of offers”.
“Hey guys, so I guess a lot of people saw the video where I asked for $4,000,” Haven said in the follow up video on Youtube. “I got a lot of offers. So, thank you, guys.”
They went on to thank viewers for sharing the original video.
“Thank you for your love and your kindness. I really feel overwhelmed. I really didn’t expect this many people to see the video.”
Haven has not publicly detailed the offers they received or confirmed whether they have now secured enough covered earnings to meet their health insurance eligibility threshold.
But for an actor who initially sat down in front of a camera to say they were in an “emergency situation”, the follow-up has brought a little bit of hope.
One month: Jack Haven and Elliot Page
Haven’s story also comes just weeks after prominent trans actor, Elliot Page, spoke publicly about struggling to find their next acting role.
As QNews reported earlier this month, Page said they had not received offers for new projects despite being at their best and appearing in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, one of the year’s major films.
The comments prompted a broader conversation about what opportunities are actually available to trans actors once they reach a certain level of visibility.
Now, Haven has also publicly asked the industry to hire them.
The two situations are, of course, different. Page was discussing the difficulty of securing new acting roles, while Haven’s immediate concern was meeting an income threshold for health insurance.
But the timing of the two, coupled with LGBTQIA+ characters being erased from mainstream films and numerous anecdotal accounts from trans and gender-diverse actors of less opportunities and auditions, underscores a recognisable pattern.
One commenter responding to Haven’s plea pointed to both actors, writing that if relatively well-known trans actors are struggling to find work, it raises questions about the opportunities available to queer performers more broadly.
“Trans people aren’t getting employed across all industries, even when qualified for the job,” another said.
A third commenter questioned whether the problem could be connected to both the changing entertainment industry and discrimination against trans performers, “or both”.
Related content:
- The part of the Elliot Page conversation most have missed (unsurprisingly)
- Kai Schreiber made trans history during New York Fashion Week
- Ariana Grande tells Trump ‘never use my music again’ after anti-trans TikTok
The US Healthcare GIANT elephant in the room
This story wouldn’t be complete without also mentioning the US healthcare system.
As one person online aptly commented upon seeing Haven’s plea, “healthcare should NOT be a privilege”.
But in the US, and many other nations, it is. This situation in particular highlights one of the pressures facing freelance performers and artists in the United States, where health insurance can be tied to employment or eligibility through an industry health plan.
For those wondering what the threshold is for SAG. Under the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan’s current rules, performers can qualify for Earned Eligibility by reaching a minimum amount of covered earnings during their four-quarter base earnings period, or by meeting an alternative 108-day requirement. For coverage beginning in 2027, the minimum covered earnings requirement is $28,933.
Only earnings from work covered by a SAG-AFTRA collective bargaining agreement count towards the threshold.
For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, and community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Find us on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
