Latest news with #ScreenActorsGuild
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sarah Sherman learned her 'SNL 'checks were being sent to Gilda Radner's estate: 'I started hysterically sobbing'
Sarah Sherman got a cosmic message from late Saturday Night Live alum Gilda Radner that cinched her place on the legendary sketch series — at least, that's how she sees it. During a recent appearance on Vulture's Good One podcast, the SNL cast member shared how a Screen Actors Guild mixup connected her and Radner, one of the show's most beloved alums who was featured from its 1975 premiere to 1980, before she died of ovarian cancer in 1989. "I got a giant envelope in the mail," Sherman recalled, "with a handwritten letter that was like, 'Hey, I'm Gilda Radner's brother. Weird thing happened where I've been receiving all of your residuals checks for the past few months.'" The mistake left Sherman overwhelmed. "I started, like, hysterically sobbing, obviously," she told host Jesse David Fox. "Because I'm like, 'Okay, God's speaking to me right now.' The fact that my SAG residuals checks had been sent to Gilda Radner's estate?" The experience spurred Sherman to text her boss, SNL creator Lorne Michaels, whom she described as using an "economy of words" in his messages. "I texted Lorne [and] I was like, 'Oh my God, my checks have been sent to Gilder Radner's estate! Isn't this like a crazy coincidence?'' she remembered. "'I feel like this is like a miracle or like I feel like this is a spirit is talking.'" (Which, upon reflection, she felt was a "schizophrenic" thing to text.) And, true to Michaels' famously concise nature, he responded, "That's sweet." Sherman has made a name for herself since joining SNL in season 47. While the surrealist comedian is known for her offbeat characters and ribbing Colin Jost at the "Weekend Update" desk, she landed in hot water in April when The White Lotus star Aimee Lou Wood called out the show for Sherman's parody of her character, Chelsea, sporting a set of very pronounced fake teeth. The pre-recorded parody primarily targeted President Donald Trump and his allies in the wake of tariffs upending the global economy. The sketch starred James Austin Johnson as the president, Mikey Day as Donald Trump Jr., Jon Hamm as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Chloe Fineman as Melania Trump. Sherman showed up as Wood's Chelsea, one of only a couple of actual White Lotus characters present in the sketch, along with Lizzo's portrayal of Natasha Rothwell's Belinda. Wood called the parody "mean" and "unfunny" on social media, positing that "there must be a cleverer, more nuanced" and "less cheap way" to poke fun. She later shared that there was no bad blood between her and Sherman, the latter of whom apologetically sent Wood flowers after the entire publicly addressed her controversial parody for the first time her during an April interview, telling Vanity Fair that she felt "terrible" for insulting the season 3 breakout. "I was excited to play her because she's so iconic, her character is so iconic, and I f---ing obviously never meant to hurt anyone's feelings," Sherman said. "Never in a million years did I get into comedy to make anyone upset. I feel terrible that anyone would feel bad." Radner was the first person hired on SNL's season 1 cast — known as the Not Ready for Prime Time Players — that also consisted of Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, and Laraine Newman. She stayed for five seasons, playing characters like Emily Litella, Roseanne Roseannadanna, Lisa Loopner of "The Nerds," and Barbara Walters parody, Baba Wawa. Radner won an Emmy for her work on the show. After leaving SNL in a mass cast exodus in 1980, Radner made several movies with future husband Gene Wilder, including Hanky Panky, The Woman in Red, and Haunted Honeymoon. She was diagnosed with stage IV ovarian cancer in 1986 and underwent chemotherapy and radiation therapy treatment, which took a physical and emotional toll. After a brief period of remission, her cancer returned in 1988, detailing the painful journey in her memoir, It's Always Something. She died on May 20, 1989. Watch Sherman's appearance on the Good One podcast above. Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
News18
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- News18
Brad Pitt Was Nearly Fired From His First Movie: 'It Was Just A Shame'
Last Updated: Pitt shared earlier that he would urge his younger self to "trust your voice" if he had the opportunity to go back in time. Hollywood star Brad Pitt took a trip down memory lane and recalled how he got himself in trouble after speaking during an uncredited appearance as a waiter in the 1987 movie 'No Man's Land" by Peter Werner. The 61-year-old star explained that he spontaneously added a line of dialogue whilst pouring champagne in an attempt to become a member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), reports Pitt told Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast: 'It's a restaurant scene. The main characters are Charlie Sheen and D.B. Sweeney, and a bunch of other actors that I wasn't necessarily aware of. I am the waiter." 'I'm supposed to bring up champagne and pour champagne. They show me how to do it. You gotta pour. You spin. You wipe the thing." The F1 actor explained how he took a chance by speaking in the scene to obtain his SAG card. Pitt said: 'The whole game was, how do you get your SAG card? Because you can't get a job if you don't have your SAG card, but you can't get your SAG card unless you've had a job. It's this catch-22." The icon added: 'Like a jackass, they're doing the scene. I get to the last actor – and she seemed lower on the totem pole? Maybe? And, literally, the scene is going on, I pour her champagne and I go, 'Would you like anything else?' It was 'CUT! CUT! CUT!' 'The first AD runs over, 'You do that again, you're out of here!!!' It was just a shame for the rest of the night." Meanwhile, Pitt shared earlier that he would urge his younger self to 'trust your voice" if he had the opportunity to go back in time. The actor told E! News: 'Don't sweat it, bro. Trust yourself. Really, just trust that voice. So many things I agonised that were just a waste of time, I agonised over in the early years. Really, just trust your voice." First Published:
Bloomberg
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Bloomberg
Actors' Union Pressured to Drop Fossil Fuels From Pension Plan
Top Hollywood actors are teaming up with activist groups to pressure the leading entertainment union, the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), to drop fossil-fuel investments from one of its pension plans. SAG-AFTRA has about 160,000 members and offers different pension plans, dating to before the merger of SAG and AFTRA. The new campaign is targeting trustees of the SAG-Producers Pension Plan, which has assets of about $5 billion. It has at least $100 million invested in fossil fuels, according to an analysis by Sphere, which promotes climate-friendly retirement investments.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Brad Pitt opens up about embarrassing career moment that ‘still haunts him'
Brad Pitt has revealed the career moment that 'still haunts' him to this day. The actor, who stars in Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski's new F1 film, has reflected on his past roles in a new interview – and was left cringing while recalling a particular interaction when he first started in Hollywood. Before his breakout supporting role in Thelma & Louise in 1992, Pitt was a jobbing actor trying to hit the big time when he landed a non-speaking part in cop film No Man's Land, written by TV producing maestro Dick Wolf (Law & Order). When Pitt scored the role as a waiter, he was yet to be admitted into the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), a membership designed to help actors further their careers. Frustratingly for the burgeoning Hollywood star, to secure SAG membership, you need to have at least one speaking part – and Pitt's role in No Man's Land required him to simply pour champagne and say nothing. 'The whole game was, how do you get your SAG card? Because you can't get a job if you don't have your SAG card, but you can't get your SAG card unless you've had a job. It's this catch-22,' he told Armchair Expert podcast. However, this didn't stop Pitt from trying to make his mark with a move he admitted 'still haunts' him. 'It's a restaurant scene. The main characters are Charlie Sheen and DB Sweeney, and a bunch of other actors that I wasn't necessarily aware of. 'I am the waiter. I'm supposed to bring up champagne and pour champagne. They show me how to do it. You gotta pour. You spin. You wipe the thing.' Pitt continued: 'Like a jackass, they're doing the scene. I get to the last actor – and she seemed lower on the totem pole? Maybe? And, literally, the scene is going on, I pour her champagne and I go, 'Would you like anything else?' It was 'CUT! CUT! CUT!'' The actor was scolded by the Assistant Director, who ran over to tell him: 'You do that again, you're out of here.' Pitt said he felt 'shame for the rest of the night'. Shortly after his wordless role in No Man's Land, Pitt starred in slasher film Cutting Class. The following decade, he went on to become one of the world's biggest actors, starring in films including True Romance, Interview with the Vampire, Se7en, Twelve Monkeys, Meet Joe Black and Fight Club.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
I'm trying to take it easy, because this was a really intensive few years of work."
Jennifer Aniston is a 56-year-old American actress. She is popularly known for her role on the television sitcom 'Friends,' which was from 1994 to 2004, as Rachel Green. The sitcom earned her Primetime Emmy, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild awards. Aniston has also consistently ranked among the world's 'highest-paid actresses,' as of 2023. With all this, she has also been real with herself when it comes to work-life balance. "I'm a bit of a workaholic.' Aniston says, "I'm a bit of a workaholic, so I'm forcing myself to try to take some time to travel and not work," in an interview with 'People.' Further, she adds, "It's so critical, I know, but I'm not good at it." The actress even shares that "our work is diminishing returns at the end of the day if you're just working so much that you don't have any wonderful life experiences.' The in-demand actress says, "I'm trying to take it easy, because this was a really intensive few years of work," referring to her busy lifestyle. Jennifer is learning auto replies to balance her work life "I'm trying desperately to learn how to create those auto replies when emails and texts come in, where it's like, 'I'm away forever. But call me in December; I'll be back,'" she says with a laugh. Aniston has been working in the entertainment industry for years; she has been continuously active since she made a name for herself when she was cast in 'Friends,' which went on for quite a long time but with success. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Doutor: Reverter encolhimento muscular após os 50 depende deste hábito noturno Revista do Homem Saiba Mais Undo Aniston's perfect day off structure In the interview she shares what her day off would look like. "It looks like a blank schedule—there's not one thing on it," she says. "That's a perfect day, and then I can figure out what that day looks like as it goes." She shares how keeping her a priority is more important now than it has ever been before. "There's a lot that we need to not focus on, because it's so awful and ugly," she says of life's not very great moments. "So we need to also remember to focus on the beauty and the positivity that's also existing in our world right now."
