Ben Affleck, Matt Damon take stand for 'The Rip' crew's fair wages

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon pushed for their crew on The Rip to receive bonuses based on the film’s performance.

Both of the actors, who also produced the upcoming film through their company Artists Equity, struck a deal with Netflix to make sure that the crew members will be paid similar profits as the big players.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, this deal was in stark contrast to how the streamer is known to conduct business.

It was reported that Netflix pays its cast and crew “an upfront fee determined in advance,” as opposed to the traditional method of combining “upfront salaries with back-end participation to some players if a film or series succeeds.”

Affleck reflected on the deal in a recent conversation with The New York Times: “We wanted to institute fairness and address some of the real issues that are present and urgent for our business.”

“This deal is fundamental, philosophically, to the ideas we had in starting this company,” he added.

While THR further reported that “all 1,200 people involved in the nearly $100 million production will be eligible for a one-time bonus if the film meets performance expectations.”

“Everybody who’s in this movie, from top to bottom, or worked on the crew, will be bonused according to metrics which we’ve already defined and they’ve shared with us,” Affleck said, without specifying the metrics.

The Rip is Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s first onscreen reunion since 2023’s Air, which was directed by Affleck. It is set to arrive on Netflix, January 16.