I would say the diff between actor and salaryman are superficial: yes the expectations are different but their contracts have the same fundamental property (you do some work, then you get irreversibly paid for it).

However I think what's really happening in this debate is that one side is arguing about conditions for individual labourers, and the other about labor in aggregate.

The two can lead to very different conclusions. For instance high income tax is good for individuals who benefit from public spending, but it also consolidates the gap between those who already own the wealth and those whose only chance to acquire it was through higher income. So in a sense it's bad for 'the class'. Could probably think of a better example but hopefully you get what I mean.