Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists on Friday elected \u201cThe Lord of the Rings\u201d actor Sean Astin to be its national president as one of Hollywood\u2019s most powerful labor unions faces new challenges in a changing film and TV industry. <\/p>\n
Astin, known for portraying Frodo\u2019s loyal hobbit friend, Samwise Gamgee, in the Peter Jackson-directed fantasy trilogy, now finds himself headed to a different kind of stage. <\/p>\n
The 54-year-old actor will become leader of the 160,000-person performers union as it prepares to enter negotiations next year for a new contract with the major studios at a time when the entertainment industry faces consolidation, productions moving overseas and artificial intelligence. <\/p>\n
\u201cI feel proud and I feel determined,\u201d Astin said in an interview. \u201cPeople keep saying to me, \u2018I hope you have time to celebrate\u2019 and celebrating feels like a foreign thought. This doesn\u2019t feel like a moment for celebration. It feels like a moment to say thank you and get to work.\u201d<\/p>\n
Voting closed on Friday. Astin beat his opponent Chuck Slavin, a background actor and performer in independent movies.<\/p>\n
Slavin on Friday said in a statement that \u201cwhile the outcome is disappointing, my commitment to advocating for transparency and member rights remains unshaken.\u201d <\/p>\n
Astin succeeds outgoing president Fran Drescher, who led the union through a 118 day strike<\/a> during the last contract negotiations in summer 2023. Under that contract, the union secured AI protections and streaming bonuses<\/a> based on viewership numbers. Some actors felt the contract didn\u2019t go far enough and hope for more gains during next year\u2019s talks. <\/p>\n Astin told the Times in an interview earlier this month that he is hopeful about securing a fair deal with the studios.<\/p>\n \u201cI have a very good feeling about going into this next negotiation, because it\u2019s clear to me that it\u2019s in both parties interest to achieve a good deal,\u201d Astin said.<\/p>\n In general, \u201cthe truth is that no union and no management should ever want a strike \u2014 that is the tool of last resort,\u201d Astin said.<\/p>\n Astin\u2019s strategy for negotiations was more moderate than that of Slavin. Slavin said that, if elected, he would call a strike authorization vote before meeting with the studios as a way to help boost the union\u2019s leverage during negotiations.<\/p>\n Astin ran under a group called \u201cThe Coalition,\u201d which featured candidates from Membership First and Unite For Strength, two political groups within SAG-AFTRA. Slavin ran as an independent.<\/p>\n