As the loyal hobbit Samwise Gamgee in “The Lord of the Rings” he faced down Sauron and his forces of evil, carrying his friend Frodo up Mt. Doom. In “Rudy,” he overcame huge odds to play football at the University of Notre Dame, becoming the ultimate symbol of the underdog athlete.

But Sean Astin may soon face his toughest role yet. Astin is hoping to succeed Fran Drescher as the new president of Hollywood’s powerful performers union, SAG-AFTRA. His opponent is Chuck Slavin, a New England local board member, background actor and performer in independent movies.

This week’s election comes during an uncertain period for SAG-AFTRA, whose 160,000 members are facing headwinds on multiple fronts. The industry has failed to fully recover from the bruising 118-day strike in the summer of 2023 an

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