Sean Astin followed in the footsteps of his mother Patty Duke on Friday as he was elected SAG-AFTRA president 37 years after she left the post.
The Lord of the Rings actor will preside over the sprawling 160,000-member union alongside his running mate Michelle Hurd, who was appointed secretary-treasurer. Astin won nearly 80 percent of the vote, while his opponent Chuck Slavin earned a little more than 20 percent. Hurd racked up about 65 percent of the vote, with her opponent Peter Antico receiving more than 35 percent support.
Voter turnout was low, with 17.34 percent of ballots being returned in the national election. By contrast, 2023’s turnout was 22.84 percent and 2021’s was 26.49 percent.
“Now is a time for optimism and creativity. I am thrilled that the members have allowed me to lead our storied organization out of this challenging moment and into a future defined by confidence, progress and fierce advocacy,” Astin said in a statement. “I’m excited to get to work.”
In her own statement, Hurd promised to “guard and grow” the union’s resources. She added, “Our industry is at a transitional moment, and we are facing real challenges, but I am optimistic and ready to fight.”
With incumbent president Fran Drescher deciding not to run for re-election, Astin and Hurd ran on a joint platform of bringing production back to the U.S., improving access to health and pension plans, prioritizing residuals in contract negotiations and fighting for improved AI protections.
They represent something of a continuation of Drescher’s leadership: Both Astin and Hurd served as members of the 2023 negotiating committee and on the national board under The Nanny star. After Drescher brought together two warring political factions within the union for its 2023 election, amid the union’s film and TV strike, Astin’s “Coalition 2025” slate did the same. Astin, after all, was once a member of the Membership First group, while Hurd was a member of their longtime rival, Unite for Strength.
Meanwhile, Astin and Hurd’s opponents promised a major change in union politics. Slavin and Antico were critics of COVID-19 vaccine mandates on union productions and Astin’s non-union work on The Lord of the Rings. Slavin also wanted to overhaul the union’s AI protections and expand members’ access to the union health plan.
In a statement on Friday, Slavin thanked “everyone who supported our campaign thus far and believed in our vision for a stronger, more accountable union.” He also claimed that he faced challenges during the election including “going up against the entrenched political machine that protects the status quo” and “the powerful Hollywood elite who wield influence to maintain their grip on power.”
The union’s local elections also concluded on Friday. In Los Angeles, the union’s incumbent secretary-treasurer Joely Fisher was elected local president, while in New York Ezra Knight won the same post.
Astin and Hurd won’t have long to settle into their new roles before they are thrust into preparation and planning for the union’s 2026 film and television contract negotiations. The first return to the bargaining table since the actors’ 2023 strike will begin some time next year ahead of the current SAG-AFTRA deal’s June 30, 2026 expiration date.
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which bargains union contracts on behalf of studios and streamers, was very quick to send a statement on Friday about the election results. “We look forward to working with President Astin to address the issues most important to SAG-AFTRA performers while promoting stability and opportunity across our industry,” the group stated.
More to come.
