“Selling Sunset” stars Mary and Romain Bonnet might be sold on Bethenny Frankel’s idea of a reality stars union.
“We’re not protected like everybody else is. Even all of our production team, they are union. They’re like, ‘No, you guys are real estate agents. This is reality. So that’s not your actual job, you’re not an actor,’” Mary told Variety on Friday night at the Pencils of Promise Pre-Gala Charity event. The private fundraiser took place at motivational speaker and philanthropist Natasha Graziano’s home in Bel Air.
“Reality wasn’t a thing. Now it’s a big thing. We have awards shows for it,” Mary said. “It just makes sense, though, because reality has taken over.”
Variety first reported Frankel’s call to action for a reality stars to unionize last week. The former “Real Housewives of New York” star said she was inspired to speak out by theSAG-Aftra and writers strike. Like guild members, Frankel believes unscripted celebrities should receive payments similar to performance-based residuals when their hit shows get played by networks and streamers.
Mary (née Fitzgerald) has been a member of the SAG for at least two decades. She joined the guild after starring as a “hot tub girl” in a Vegas.com commercial over 20 years ago.
“I fell into it because I was very poor and I needed money. Somehow I got SAG eligible. So I’ve just paid my dues and kept it this whole time, because I was like, you never know. I’ve never wanted to be an actress. I just needed money at the time,” she revealed.
But even being a member of SAG, Mary admits she doesn’t receive all of the benefits that come with it due to being a reality star.
“I’m part of SAG, and I can’t even get insurance through SAG, because we’re paid outside of it. So I pay all the dues, and I don’t make any money through that. I just pay,” she shared.
The couple spoke to Variety after they donated a generous figure to the Pencils of Promise Foundation to help friend Graziano build another school with the organization.
Graziano serves on the advisory board for Pencils of Promise with a goal to aid them in their mission to deliver education to underserved communities throughout the globe. They recently built their first school through in Guatemala and they’re hoping to break ground on their second school within the next year.
“We’re helping kids to go to school and have proper menstrual hygiene, and be able to live a life that they wouldn’t have,” Graziano told Variety. These kids don’t even have lunch. They drink from river water. I knew I was doing the right thing. I knew I wanted to do something alongside some other individuals who would also affect a change in the world.”