SALLY FIELD - STARS SUPPORT SAG DISSIDENTS

Although they themselves presumably don't have enough time to run for a place on the Screen Actors Guild's national board, a group of prominent actors on Wednesday endorsed a dissident group of not-so-well-known actors who do. The group signed a message to SAG's membership from Sally Field saying that the actions of the union's current leadership had "destroyed" her faith in its ability "to effectively represent our interests as performers." She particularly condemned the leadership's inability to form a united front with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists against the producers. "If this leadership stays in place, the bad relations with AFTRA will persist, and we'll continue to negotiate contracts from a position of division and weakness," she said. Among 49 other actors supporting Field in calling for support of the candidate slate called Unite for Strength were such stars as Alec Baldwin, Ed Begley, Jr., Lewis Black, Peter Coyote, Marcia Cross, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Tom Hanks, Patricia Heaton, Felicity Huffman, Anthony LaPaglia, Rob Lowe, William H. Macy, Ron Perlman, Freddie Prinze, Jr., Tony Shalhoub, Elizabeth Shue, Gary Sinise, Eric Stoltz, John Turturro, Nia Vardalos, and Steven Weber. Previously Unite for Strength had been criticized for its inability to persuade well-known actors to challenge the leadership slate known as Membership First in September's board election.

14/08/2008