The SAG-AFTRA president talked with ET from the red carpet of the SAG Awards.
Fran Drescher is opening up about the end of the historic 118-day SAG-AFTRA strike.
Speaking with ET’s Nischelle Turner on the red carpet at the 2024 SAG Awards, the union president, 66, accepted her flowers for helping in striking a deal for the actors and performers, which she says became a rallying cry for all union workers.
“And that ignited workers around the world, not even [just] in our industry, so it was very gratifying,” Drescher told ET. “We’re on the frontlines but we’re speaking on behalf of labor everywhere. And we ended up victorious which is especially gratifying.”
On the carpet, The Nanny star asked with SAG-AFTRA negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, as well as ex-husband Peter Marc Jacobson. She shared that she found it vital when she took on the role as president of the actors’ union to step up for her fellow industry workers, a mindset she carried all the way through the strike.
“I’ve gotten used to the fact that people underestimate me and even when I entered as president two years ago, people did not expect me to run the company like a true president,” she says. “I’m not a figurehead, you know? I’m someone who really takes charge and tries to fix what’s broken and when this contract came up I knew there needed to be massive changes.”
Among those massive changes were boosts to minimum pay for members, increased residual payments for shows streamed online, bolstered contributions to the union’s health and pension plans, and new rules for the use of artificial intelligence.
It was a tough time — nearly four months in total — for the industry, but a necessary struggle in the actress’ opinion as it contributed to an overall better working environment for their union, a common goal among actors and a sense of belief and resilience for union workers everywhere, she says.
“Even at times when I thought, ‘You know, it’s hard to keep 160,000 members all corralled with one goal,’ and as things started to feel like some people were losing their conviction, and I thought, ‘Is it time for us to capitulate?,’ my own negotiating committee said, ‘No, you started this, and everyone has bought into it, and we will stand behind you and we will make sure that the union all stays together,'” she elaborated. As for what the union president is most looking forward to seeing during the evening, the television icon said she could not pick a moment but that she is just excited for whatever the night has in store.
“The whole night’s gonna be one moment after another and I can’t be more thrilled about all of it,” she said.
The 2024 Screen Actors Guild Awards is on Saturday, Feb. 24, at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET and is streaming live on Netflix from the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall in Los Angeles. Follow along at ETonline.com for full coverage from the awards show, including red carpet arrivals, the complete winners list and more.
