Samwise Gamgee can’t carry the One Ring, but he can carry the vote. Sean Astin was elected president of SAG-AFTRA, succeeded Fran Drescher in the role. His mother, Patty Duke, was also SAG-AFTRA president 37 years before Astin’s tenure. “Now is a time for optimism and creativity. I am thrilled that the members have allowed me to lead our storied organization out of this challenging moment and into a future defined by confidence, progress and fierce advocacy,” Astin said in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter . “I’m excited to get to work.”

Astin was elected alongside his running mate, Law & Order: SVU and Star Trek: Picard star Michelle Hurd. She will serve as secretary-treasurer. In her own statement, Hurd said “Our industry is at a transitional moment, and we ar

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