Fran Drescher, the actress and SAG-AFTRA president who took center stage in the recent strikes, will not seek re-election. Instead, it will come down to Sean Astin, an actor who has appeared in “Lord of the Rings” and “Stranger Things” (among many others) and Chuck Slavin, a member of the local board in New England.
Drescher, perhaps most famous for her role on prime time sitcom “The Nanny,” was nominated in 2021 and led the guild during the strike in the summer of 2023, which coincided with the WGA strike. Drescher was re-elected in 2023.
During the strike, Drescher was a near-constant media presence, as she drummed up interest in the strike and called attention to the issues that the guild was fighting for.
Additional negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) are set for 2026, with concerns around health care, pension benefactions and protections against the looming threat of generative AI.
Ballots will be sent out on Aug. 13, with a return date of Sept. 12.
