At SAG-AFTRA, a tough role awaits next leader

Sean Astin faces off with Chuck Slavin in vote amid job loss, AI, healthcare concerns.

- BY WENDY LEE

THIS WEEK'S election comes as SAG-AFTRA's 160,000 members are facing headwinds on multiple fronts.

As the loyal hobbit Sam-wise Gamgee in “The Lord of the Rings” he faced down Sauron and his forces of evil, carrying his friend Frodo up Mt. Doom. In “Rudy,” he overcame huge odds to play football at the University of Notre Dame, becoming the ultimate symbol of the underdog athlete.

But Sean Astin may soon face his toughest role yet. Astin is hoping to succeed Fran Drescher as the new president of Hollywood’s powerful performers union, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. His opponent is Chuck Slavin, a New England local board member, background actor and performer in independent movies.

This week's election comes during an uncertain period for SAG-AFTRA, whose 160,000 members are facing headwinds on multiple fronts. The industry has failed to fully recover from the bruising 118-day strike in the summer of 2023 and many actors have deep anxieties about the effects of runaway production, the threats that artificial intelligence poses to their profession, and the rising cost of healthcare.

"These are critical times for the industry, for the studios, and also for the union,” said David Smith, an economics professor at Pepperdine Graziadio Business School. “The dynamics around artificial intelligence, [the] evolving world of streaming and economics have created significant value in the industry and for the union itself to make sure it carves out a fair share of the gains.”

ACTOR Sean Astin hopes to succeed Fran Drescher president of the powerful performers union.