SAG-AFTRA To Reopen Offices January 30 For First Time Since Covid Closures Nearly Three Years Ago

Heather Rae Young is resting up!

SAG-AFTRA has condemned the arrest by the Iranian government of Taraneh Alidoosti, the internationally acclaimed actress who starred in the Oscar-winning film The Salesman.

Warning: This podcast contains minor spoilers about Avatar: The Way of WaterDespite being the highest grossing movie ever at $2.9 billion, Avatar isn’t your run-of-the-mill franchise.

SAG-AFTRA has implemented new protections for the self-taping of auditions for low-budget productions.  The move was made, the guild said, “to address members’ concerns about this common yet frequently challenging practice.” The new guidelines limit all low-budget projects to the reading of five script pages for a first self-taped audition, although additional pages can be requested for a callback or on zoom.

Just because an actor appears in a major franchise film, you can never assume they are deeply ingrained in the fandom and everything that comes with it. For many of them, starring in a franchise film is just another job and a paycheck.

Edie Falco is one of the stars of Avatar: The Way of Water, the sequel to James Cameron’s epic. The Sopranos alum filmed the movie several years ago she had thought it had been released and flopped at the box office after not hearing much buzz.

SAG-AFTRA today applauded the enactment of the Respect for Marriage Act, which was signed into law today by President Joe Biden. The bipartisan legislation was passed in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, and concerns that the court might next rule that states can make same-sex and interracial marriages illegal.

The SAG-AFTRA Foundation granted more than $800,000 in emergency financial assistance, Covid assistance, senior financial crisis aid, health assistance and disaster relief this year to members of the union, the foundation’s president, Courtney B. Vance, said in his year-end fireside chat. He also reported that the Foundation awarded another $300,000 in higher education scholarships to 106 SAG-AFTRA members and their dependents.

In a major victory for SAG-AFTRA and GLAAD, IMDb has agreed to allow industry professionals to remove their dates of birth, birth names and other demographic information from its IMDb and IMDbPro sites.

SAG-AFTRA is surveying its members about how they feel about the industry’s Covid vaccination mandate in advance of the January 31 expiration of the Covid protocols, per an oft-extended agreement between the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers and Hollywood’s unions.

SAG-AFTRA has condemned the arrest of two Iranian actors and other demonstrators during recent protests that have swept the Islamic Republic.

SAG-AFTRA believes in free speech, but not hate speech. On Friday, the union took the rare step of condemning one of its own members – Ye, formerly known as Kanye West – for making antisemitic statements.

SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher is doubling down on her concerns about Hollywood’s Covid-19 vaccination mandate, saying that “Help is on the way!” for those who refuse to be vaccinated in order to work because of their religious beliefs or preexisting health conditions.

We are just over one week away from the theatrical release of James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way of Water.” Coming a mere 13 years after the first, record-breaking film, many folks were wondering if a sequel was even a good idea. Could Cameron somehow replicate the awe many felt after watching blue aliens on a distant planet for the first time? Well, if the first social media reactions from critics are any indication, then absolutely.  READ MORE: James Cameron Says No Other Filmmakers Are Capable Of Making ‘Avatar’ Films Right Now Yesterday, many critics were given the chance to watch “Avatar: The Way of Water,” and their reactions are nothing short of ecstatic.

SAG-AFTRA, in partnership with the AFL-CIO, is offering new SAG-AFTRA Senior Benefit Plans for all Medicare-eligible members and their Medicare-eligible spouses/partners, which includes a $0 premium option. The new plans are available to all of SAG-AFTRA’s Medicare-eligible members, regardless of their qualification for the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan.