On non-professional guest actors and SAG rules

[alpha_leonis]

Star Trek is one of those famous, influential shows that people ask to be on as a way of paying back the influence. Famously, Whoopi Goldberg was inspired as a child by Uhura, and asked for a role. She had prestige enough that they created the role of Guinan for her (making Patrick Stewart insecure that an Academy Award winner would be playing opposite him!)

Through the years, not just professional actors, but even influential people from other professions have obtained guest star credits. I remember a news report that Jordan's King Abdullah was an extra in a Voyager corridor scene, talking to Harry Kim. The article took special note that Abdullah was not a SAG member, so he couldn't have any lines on screen.

Other examples: Professor Stephen Hawking and Mae Jemison (the first black female astronaut in history) both had appearances on TNG, and both had speaking lines. All of a sudden I'm curious why they both could speak on screen when Abdullah couldn't. Why could they make SAG exceptions for a professor and an astronaut, but not for royalty?

In Hawking's case my first thought was that SAG could make an exception for a person who plays himself. (Or perhaps they could wink and nudge and claim that he wasn't actually speaking, but using a prop that spoke.)

Neither explanation would work for Jemison, though. Any actors here who could offer some insight?

 

[Bad Thoughts]

https://www.sagaftra.org/may-i-hire...ers-my-sag-aftra-new-media-covered-production

 

[Tim Thomason]

Yeah, Jemison and Hawking were prepared cameos, likely negotiating for weeks ahead of time. Prince Abdullah was touring the set and offered a cameo as a surprise gift from his handlers (the joy of being royalty).

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

The article took special note that Abdullah was not a SAG member, so he couldn't have any lines on screen.

Apparently that's not the case after all.

If it's going to be just a one-off appearance, it looks like anyone can have the occasional onscreen line. For example, in ST IV, during the "nuclear wessels" scene, the woman who says "I think it's across the bay, in Alameda" was a random passersby who wanted to be in the scene. She wasn't a member of SAG, yet she was allowed to have dialogue.

Also, two different mayors of New York City (Giuliani and Bloomberg) have appeared in episodes of Law & Order, and had lines. Yet they're obviously not members of SAG either.

As for King (then Prince) Abdullah: He is a huge Trek fan and asked for a walk-on appearance on VOY. I guess he just thought it wasn't important if he spoke, he just wanted to be on the show.

 

[The Wormhole]

If it's going to be just a one-off appearance, it looks like anyone can have the occasional onscreen line. For example, in ST IV, during the "nuclear wessels" scene, the woman who says "I think it's across the bay, in Alameda" was a random passersby who wanted to be in the scene. She wasn't a member of SAG, yet she was allowed to have dialogue.

She actually went against the SAG rules when she did that, as she was only hired specifically as a non-speaking background extra. But because Nimoy like the way the scene played out, he smoothed things over with the SAG afterwards.

Also, two different mayors of New York City (Giuliani and Bloomberg) have appeared in episodes of Law & Order, and had lines. Yet they're obviously not members of SAG either.

Like Stephen Hawking, that's a case of people playing themselves, which the SAG does permit.

 

[Tim Thomason]

It probably just saved them headaches to have Abdullah serve as an uncredited non-speaking extra, than an explicit speaking cameo that could mess with the flow of the story and require a Taft-Hartley Report (and unnecessary, as Abdullah was not seeking SAG membership, AFAWK). Hawking, Jemison, and Tom Morello were all big fans of the show, took multiple tours and the cast and crew were pushing for their cameos. Abdullah's, while probably negotiated by his handlers ahead of time, was not really something they expected or really wanted. But they did give him a warm welcome.

 

[Sakonna]

Oh, I know this one, I used to work in episodic casting and have dealt with this situation a ton. Whenever you cast someone not already in SAG, you're required to submit paperwork to the union telling them why you HAD to hire this person over all the actors out there who are already in the union. It's called a Taft Hartley. Usually just 2 or 3 lines. Sometimes there's a real reason, and other times you're just spinning some bullshit.

If SAG likes your reason, you're approved and you hear nothing back. If they don't like your reason, then they fight it out for awhile with legal or whoever (wasting enormous amounts of the casting directors time along the way on related phone calls ), and then at the end SAG either fines the production or they don't.

As others have said, Stephen Hawking would have been no problem, there's no actor who can play Stephen Hawking better than the real man, so SAG can't object.

But now that you raise the question, I am curious if they got fined for Jemison. They probably should have been -- it's basically exactly what the rule wants to protect against -- a role that plenty of actors could have done, but it's given to a non-actor for reasons having nothing to do with the performance.

I did this once (cast a non-actor for a few lines because they were an extremely accomplished individual in a notable field) and we went in just accepting the production would get a fine and everyone considered it worth it to have this fascinating, exceptional person cameo on the show. (And also, these fines were not large! A rounding error in the budget of a show like this)

They might have gotten fined for Abdullah, too, even if he didn't speak. You're supposed to have a certain (large) number of union background on the day before you can add any non-union to it. I don’t think the Voyager standing sets were large enough for them to ever be able to fit the minimum. It's hard for me to imagine anyone would have noticed this enough to make an issue of it, though.