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SAG-AFTRA members had some business to attend to before celebrating the Emmys on Sunday, as the Friday before was the deadline for electing a new union president. The office has been in the well-manicured hands of Fran Drescher since 2021, a tenure which included the very consequential actors strike of 2023. While a deal was eventually reached (after 118 days), the terms are due to be renegotiated with the studios’ AMPTP union next year. And who will be speaking for the 160,000 actors and other performers in those talks next year? The most loyal of hobbits, Sean Astin! After announcing his candidacy two months ago, Astin won a landslide victory with 79% of the vote:
The union that represents tens of thousands of actors and other entertainment and media professionals has elected Sean Astin as its new president.
On Friday, SAG-AFTRA elected Astin — an actor who appeared in “The Lord of the Rings.” “Stranger Things” and “Rudy” — to succeed Fran Drescher as its president. Astin is the son of the late Academy Award-winning actor Patty Duke and John Astin, who starred in the 1960s TV series “The Addams Family.”
Sean Astin defeated Chuck Slavin in a 79% to 21% vote. Michelle Hurd was elected secretary-treasurer.
Patty Duke, Sean Astin’s mother, served as the Screen Actors Guild’s president from 1985-1988.
According to its website, SAG-AFTRA brings together Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. It represents approximately 160,000 actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, dancers, DJs, program hosts, recording artists and others.
Under Drescher, the union has navigated a pair of strikes involving film and television actors and a separate one involving video game and interactive media performers.
Congratulations President Astin, on a triumphant campaign. (Even though he neglected to use my suggested slogan: “Bread and roses, and PO-TAY-TOES!”) And congrats to Star Trek: Picard alum and new secretary-treasurer Michelle Hurd, who was Astin’s running mate in this race. This is apparently a big deal (union pun!) that they joined forces, as Astin and Hurd used to be in opposing factions within SAG-AFTRA — Astin allied with Membership First, while Hurd followed Unite for Strength. Credit goes to outgoing Pres Drescher for uniting the two groups (with names both alike in parody) as they fought the bigger fight with AMPTP in 2023. And as Astin and Hurd head into the 2026 contract renewals, their platform is very much a continuation of Drescher’s legacy: improving members’ healthcare and pensions, securing better residuals, protecting live performers from the encroachment of AI, and bringing production back to the US. A tall order in this climate, where studios are more in tune with the business end of things than they are with producing creative material, to the point where they’ll axe their own signature programming to make a merger happen and appease a wannabe dictator. But hey, goonies never say die!!
Party Duke filmed a movie up here in my neck of the woods many years ago and is still remembered fondly. A lovely lady who mingled and enjoyed herself. Glad to see her son doing good things.
I didn’t know Astin was the son of Patty Duke and Gomez Adam’s until yesterday. And I just found out Hugh Hurd is Michelle Hurd’s dad. I’m not calling them nepo babies, I think legacy activists is more accurate. Congrats to them both.
We love Sean Astin in this house. You don’t want to know how many time my boys have watched the goonies. Maybe 10 times last week alone. and then Lord of the Rings, my favorite. They haven’t even seen rudy yet ! lol.
We are doing a Stranger things rewatch and just started Season 2 last night and its my least favorite season bc of Bob.
here’s wishing the new leadership team lots of luck!