‘Victorious’ SAG President Fran Drescher Calls Actors’ Strike a ‘Time of Reckoning’ and a ‘Turning Point’ (Exclusive)

Perhaps no one is more thrilled with the success of last year’s months-long SAG-AFTRA strike than its president, Fran Drescher.

The Nanny The alum, 66, says he feels “victorious” as he attends the 30th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles on Saturday, which he calls “the cherry on top” after a challenging year.

“We’re here, we’re all together, we’re celebrating who we are,” Drescher says during PEOPLE and Entertainment Weekly’s live Red Carpet broadcast ahead of this year’s ceremony.

“It’s really the culmination of what has really been a stressful and difficult period, but a key period and a turning point, I think for SAG-AFTRA members,” he continues with their work finalizing the contract in November for the end of the four-month period. strike.

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Drescher called the actors’ union “the most powerful union in the world” before sharing how she helped “preserve” its members during the lengthy strike.

“I gave them permission to have an ego for themselves, to appreciate that they are the center of the wheel in this industry. That we can’t do without them, they are fundamental collaborators, they are better than what they are doing to us, and it is time for reckoning,” he says she. “Everyone needs to sit down and accept that this is a turning point – and a foundational agreement was needed.”

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher attends the 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on February 24, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

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When the actors’ strike began in July, Drescher, who is SAG-AFTRA president through 2022, told PEOPLE there was “no way to predict” how long the strike would last as she called it “a moment in history that is a moment of truth. ”

“We are victims of a very greedy entity. I am shocked by the way the people we did business with treat us,” she said. “If we don’t stand up now, we’re all going to be in trouble.”

Drescher noted that Hollywood executives are “pleading poverty to lose money left and right while giving hundreds of millions of dollars to their CEOs. It’s disgusting. Shame on them. They are on the wrong side of history right now.”

She continued, “We will all be at risk of being replaced by machines and big business, who care more about Wall Street than you and your family. Most Americans don’t have more than $500 in an emergency. This is a very big deal, and it was weighing on us. But at some point, you have to say, ‘No, we’re not going to take this anymore. You people are crazy! What are you doing? Why are you doing this?’ ”

SAG-AFTRA President Actress Fran Drescher arrives at the 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on February 24, 2024 in Los Angeles.

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After being elected president of the union three years ago, Drescher said in a statement that she was “honored to serve.”

“Only as a united front will we have the strength against the real opposition to achieve what we all want: more benefits, stronger contracts and better protection,” she added. “Let’s stick our elbows together and show up at the negotiating table together with strength!”

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The 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will air live on Netflix on Saturday at 8:00 PM ET / 5:00 PM PT from the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall.

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Source: HIS Education