A Valley native is among the nearly 160,000 Hollywood actors on strike.

Friday marks one week since the SAG-AFTRA represented actors joined screenwriters in the strike.

As part of the strike, actors and writers stopped working and promoting their projects to secure better pay and protect themselves against artificial intelligence.

Lorena Abreu grew up in McAllen before starting her career as a stuntwoman. She landed a part in the film “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.”

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She joined the SAG-AFTRA union in 2018 and says 98% of working-class actors who don't make enough to secure health care every year voted to strike.

Abreu said one of the big things actors and screenwriters want is better residual pay, or payment for reruns and other airings of a movie or TV show after the initial release. 

When shows or movies get moved to a streaming service, the pay doesn't reflect that, Abreu said.

“I actually just got my residuals for Dr. Strange, for example, and those residuals are based on the plays it got in movie theaters,” Abreu said. “Now the plays will continue on Disney+, maybe I'll get 25 bucks."

Abreu says she will be on strike until a deal is reached. 

While on strike, Abreu will try to book commercials and music videos, as those are exempted from the strikes due to different contracts.

Abreu said she will also remotely help at her parents’ gym in the Valley.