SAG-AFTRA
Hosted by National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland.
10
What Actors Should Know About Performance Capture
<p>Performance capture has evolved from an experimental filmmaking technique to a fundamental part of modern entertainment. But despite how common it's become, there's still a lot of misunderstanding about what performance capture actually is and what it means for actors who work in this space. To break it all down, we're joined by Woody Schultz, a SAG-AFTRA National Board Member and Vice Chair of the National AI and Technology Committee. Schultz has been at the forefront of performance capture since its early days, working on groundbreaking films like The Polar Express, Avatar and Monster House. He talks about how...
Why the NO FAKES Act Matters Right Now
<p>The NO FAKES Act heads to a Senate Judiciary Committee markup and vote on June 11, 2026. This is a moment three years in the making and the closest this bill has come to becoming law. Right now, anyone's face or voice can be cloned and dropped into a video they never agreed to, and most people have far fewer legal rights to stop it than they think. The NO FAKES Act would change that. To break down what the bill actually does, we're joined by SAG-AFTRA LA Local President and the SAG-AFTRA Government Affairs & Public Policy Committee (GAPP) Co-Chair Joely...
Meet the 'Project Hail Mary' Puppeteer Who Brought Rocky to Life
<p>One of the biggest movie surprises of 2026 has been the sci-fi blockbuster Project Hail Mary. Actor, puppeteer and puppet designer James Ortiz joins the show to discuss his groundbreaking performance as the five-legged alien Rocky in the film. James shares his journey from landing the role with a homemade puppet audition to building on-set chemistry with Ryan Gosling, describing how what began as a job focused on puppeteering evolved into one of the most talked-about performances of the year. *The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of their organization or SAG-AFTRA.<...
Unpacking the 2026 TV/Theatrical Tentative Agreement
<p>Earlier this month, SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP reached a tentative agreement on a successor contract to the 2023 TV/Theatrical Contracts covering motion pictures, scripted primetime dramatic television, streaming content and new media. This agreement builds on our historic gains while securing the future for our members. In this roundtable discussion, SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin, SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland and SAG-AFTRA Chief Contract Officer Ray Rodriguez discuss the headline achievements of this tentative agreement. Topics include: the historic pension and retirement plan merger, comprehensive AI protections for digital replicas and synthetics, increases in residuals and the...
The Most Memorable Moments of the Actor Awards
<p>In March, SAG-AFTRA hosted The 32nd Annual Actor Awards Presented by SAG-AFTRA, which streamed live on Netflix from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. The show has been honoring outstanding performances in film and television for 32 years as the Screen Actors Guild Awards®, but this year marked the first ceremony under its new name. The night was a roaring success with some truly memorable and funny moments, thanks in no small part to an incredible production team. To take us behind the curtain and share some insider stories, we're joined by three people who made it all happen: Jon B...
How the New Intimacy Coordinator Contract is Good for the Whole Industry
<p>SAG-AFTRA's first collective bargaining agreement for intimacy coordinators took effect on Feb. 22, marking a watershed moment for a profession that didn't exist 15 years ago. The contract establishes industry-wide standards for the professionals who safeguard performers during intimate scenes. But what exactly does an intimacy coordinator do, and why does this agreement matter for every performer working today? We spoke with Alicia Rodis, Chair of the Intimacy Coordinator Negotiating Committee and a working IC whose credits include And Just Like That, The Gilded Age, and The Last Mrs. Parrish. Alicia discusses the critical protections now guaranteed under the agreement. She...
What's Really Holding Back Latino Representation in Entertainment
<p>Latino performers face a persistent gap between their presence in the entertainment industry and their representation in actual roles. Typecasting, stereotyping, and limited opportunities remain real challenges. But there's also progress happening, and the union is fighting to accelerate change. We spoke to three SAG-AFTRA members leading this fight: Hector Garcia, National Board member and Co-Vice Chair of the National Latino Committee; Natalia Castellanos, Chair of the National Latino Committee; and Vanessa Morales, Co-Vice Chair of the National Latino Committee. They discuss where Latino representation stands today and why something as simple as updating your member profile matters more...
The Women's Committee Gets Real About Industry Challenges
<p >As we celebrate Women's History Month this March, we're recognizing not just the trailblazers of the past, but the women who are shaping our industry's future right now. In this episode, we share a powerful conversation that took place last November at our L.A. Local Women's Committee's second annual roundtable. Seven remarkable SAG-AFTRA members came together to discuss the real challenges women face in our industry—from stereotypes and ageism to gender bias. And more importantly, how we're confronting them together. The panel was moderated by Elyssa Phillips and included Tiffany Yvonne Cox, Frances Fisher, Ever Carradine, Minita Ga...
This Director Is Using Humor to Expose How AI Can't Act
<p>We've all seen the headlines about A.I. and wondered what it all means for your career. There's a lot of anxiety and uncertainty about what AI synthetics can actually accomplish. Writer-director and Emmy-winning creator Sergio Cilli, decided to find out by auditioning them. In his viral video series "Will AI Actors Replace Us?!," which has reached 45 million views, Sergio puts AI synthetics through typical audition scenarios and watches them fail spectacularly at basic tasks like loading a dishwasher or performing emotional scenes. He joins the show to discuss how humor helps performers process anxiety about A.I., and...
The Battle to Preserve Human Artistry in the Age of A.I.
<p>AI-generated content and deepfakes are rewriting the rules of creative ownership. So what are writers, artists, and performers doing about it? In this panel discussion from the AI House at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland joined multidisciplinary artist Emi Kusano and MIT Technology Review Editor-in-Chief Mat Honan for a discussion about how performers secured contract protections for digital replicas, how artists are using AI ethically in their own creative practice, and how journalists are setting boundaries around AI-generated content in newsrooms. The panel was moderated by Nicholas Thompson...
