A group of rising stars from “Obsession,” “The Pit,” “Euphoria,” and more gathered Thursday to discuss Gen Z’s influence on Hollywood careers and entertainment as part of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s inaugural event, “Act One: Summer Soirée.”
Participants — Patrick Ball (The Pit), Megan Lawless (Obsession), Tonatiou (Kiss of the Spider-Women), Caitlin Riley (The Hux), Darrell Britt-Gibson (Euphoria) and Courtney Taylor (The Ballad) — shared their career stories and advice with young performers at the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s Meryl Streep Center. Held for performing artists at the union’s headquarters in Los Angeles.
The panel discussion comes on the heels of box office sleeper hits such as Currie Barker’s Obsession, which has ignited a zeitgeist and increased appetite among Gen Z, the most active movie-going demographic.
Araya Doheny/Getty Images for SAG-AFTRA Foundation
“We’re in kind of an exciting situation because I think we’re starting to see a lot of original stories again, and I think we’re so hungry for it,” Taylor said during a panel moderated by Rochelle Rose, national director of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s Performers Program. “Stuff like ‘I Love Boosters,’ ‘Backrooms,’ ‘Obsession.’ We’re so hungry for something new. We’re starting to understand that, and I think the opportunity there is to lean on that and lean on every story.”
Lawless, who plays Sarah in “Obsession,” explained that she had been waiting for this moment since she was 13. “This is just a dream come true for me. For me, I finally had that moment where I felt like people wanted to work with me and chose me. Something new has happened. I now have a choice,” she said. “I’ve been very involved with the team and I talk to them all the time. Almost everything I can do, including press, I’ll say yes. This moment won’t last forever.”
Britt-Gibson, who has a recurring role on season 4 of HBO’s acclaimed drama series “The Wire,” has been given career choices and is intentional about it all.
“I’ve sacrificed a lot of money in this industry on projects that I said no to,” he said. “I always think, ‘Can I sit my future kids down and show them something and say I’m proud of it, not just that it made this much money or that this many people saw it?’
Ball, who won an acting award for his role as part of the ensemble in HBO Max’s hit medical drama “The Pit,” has a unique story to tell. While many of the other panelists took a more traditional path through various films and shows, he spent 15 years in theater before landing the role of Dr. Frank Langdon.
“When you watch Season 1 of ‘The Pit,’ you’re watching the education process for me, understanding how the camera works, how the set works,” Ball said. “There’s no way to prepare for it, you just have to. And to be honest, I’m not the best at it.”
At the end of the panel, Rose brought up AI. AI has quickly become one of the most controversial and hot-button issues in the industry.
Riley encouraged his fellow actors to be “strongly opposed” to AI. “Everyone keeps saying AI is coming to us, but it’s happening whether we like it or not. The truth of the matter is, it’s a lie. These companies and billionaires are trying to force AI into our lives, but if we come together and say no, we can resist. You don’t have to be involved in it. You have autonomy. There’s a community here.”
On the topic of AI, Tonatiuh concluded by giving the audience some practical advice.
Regarding actors waiving their image rights, he said, “You need to learn how to read contracts quickly and learn how to hire a good lawyer right away.” “It’s really important that you’re not just an artist, you’re running a business, and you can’t just read it and sign out. Agents aren’t going to watch your back, managers aren’t going to watch your back. They’re looking at dollars because they want percentages. You have to watch your back.”
(Top photo: SAG-AFTRA Foundation Act 1: Megan Lawless, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Caitlin Riley, Tonatiu at the Summer Soiree event June 18)
