SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher gave an impassioned speech at the 30th Screen Actors Guild Awards, held Saturday at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. The awards ceremony, which was streamed live on Netflix, was the first edition of the ceremony since SAG-AFTRA reached an agreement with the major studios to end its historic strike and ratify a new contract. Read her full speech below.
Thank you very much. I would like to express my gratitude to the WGA, DGA, IATSE, AFM, Teamsters and Basic Crafts for helping to make this night a success. Thank you to the hard-working man in show business, SAG-AFTRA CEO Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. And a special big thanks to Netflix for inviting the SAG Awards to their platform, so this event can be watched all over the world including my parents' apartment in South Florida.
But most importantly, congratulations to all members, both here today and everywhere. You have my utmost appreciation and respect, you are the heroes. You survived the longest strike in the history of our union with courage and conviction. The journey was arduous. It came with great sacrifices, relentless pressure, and your collective dignity and perseverance to stand up and say, “We deserve better because we are better” that led to a historic billion-dollar deal.
Your solidarity has ignited the enthusiasm of workers around the world, leading to what will forever be remembered as the “Hot Summer of Work.” You took the hero's journey and stood on the front lines, strike leaders led the march on the picket lines, and we all came to the marches because you understood what our tremendous contribution to this amazing industry meant.
And now here we stand, tall and proud. This was a defining moment in the history of our Union that set the course for many generations to come. Not afraid but brave, not weak but empowered, not servants but partners.
During the struggle for a better television theatrical contract, universal ideas emerged. AI will trap us in a matrix where none of us know what is real. If the inventor lacks empathy and spirituality, this may not be the invention we need. Dystopian stories can also become a self-fulfilling prophecy. We must tell stories that stir the human spirit, connect us to the natural world, and awaken our capacity to love unconditionally.
What does female leadership look like for women and girls? We don't have to emulate male energy, but rather lead with thought, compassion, and wisdom — and still rock the red lip.
Sometimes it's hard to see the frame when you're in the photo. But a renaissance can happen. Each of us can work on developing compassion within ourselves. Collectively, the paradigm will shift toward peace and harmony. We all carry in our hearts the gentle whisper of true love.
I am honored to be your President as we now enter our golden age. Thank you very much.
