Brenda Song Reveals Disney’s Unsafe Conditions and Pay Issues

2 min read

Actress Brenda Song has opened up about her experiences working as a child star for Disney, revealing that she felt ‘underpaid and overworked’ during her time on the network. Speaking on Dylan Sprouse’s Wildmen podcast, Song detailed the challenges she faced, including what she described as unsafe working conditions.

Hot Tub Incident Highlights Safety Concerns

During her time on The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, which aired from March 2005 to September 2008, Song recalled a particularly alarming incident. She described fainting while filming a scene in a hot tub that was set to an unsafe temperature of over 250 degrees.

‘I just remember breathing heavy and my chest felt really hot. I just went, ‘Am I having a panic attack?’ she said. ‘And then all of a sudden I remember [seeing] stars and [then I was] gone.’ Song explained that the crew only realized the hot tub was dangerously hot after she fainted.

Underpayment and Lack of Residuals

Song also reflected on the financial aspects of her time at Disney, expressing that child actors were ‘underpaid and overworked’ and did not even receive residuals for their work. ‘I look back on it, I was like, ‘Oh my God, we did actually pay them to work.’ We basically did,’ she said.

Sprouse Reflects on Disney’s Impact

Dylan Sprouse, who co-starred with Song on the show, shared his own thoughts on the experience. He noted that if the show had been on a different network, the actors might have had more financial security. ‘We would have seven generations of children that would not have to worry about what they did [for money].’

Song acknowledged the platform Disney provided, saying, ‘Disney did give us a platform to be sitting here right now. So it’s very hard to complain about certain things.’ Despite the challenges, she expressed gratitude for the opportunities the network offered.

Source: Breitbart

Written by

claire.thomson