Reunited with the cast and crew of “The Disappointments”

and it was indeed so good!  

THE DISAPPOINTMENTS

Just in time for Pride month, the Season 2 trailer was cut and screened in WeHo, L.A., and it was a hoot, a holler, and a heartache to glimpse our heroes Ray, Gary, and James journey through transformations that upturn their lives.

It has been an absolute delight to join the S.2 cast of the Humanitas Prize-winning black comedy  “The Disappointments”, about 3 gay best friends in their late 50’s reconciling their personal dreams with the realities of their lives in Los Angeles.  I’m on board as Rachel Payne, a TV producer and chic control freak who marches to the beat of her own restless timpani.

Here’s the trailer: wait for it!

Please support our show by sharing the trailer and with a contribution to the Post-Production campaign on IndieGogo.  With literally millions of viewers for Season 1, this show belongs on a top streamer, and we need your help to get it there!

And watch Season 1 here:

To receive such a gracious welcome for S.2 with these lovely and brilliant people has been a complete joy:  E.P. Steve Cubine, writer, director, star, and E.P. Rich Burns,  Prod. Trevor LaPaglia, Gedde Watanabe, James Campbell, Luke Grady, Chuck Saculla, Michael Corbett, Debbie Pollack, June Carryl, make-up genius Cheryl Calo, fabulous costume designer Cat Velosa, and the fantastic team of actors and crew.  The world needs these empowering stories more than ever! Thank you for sharing the love.  

#WGAStrong

On May 2nd, the Writers Guild of America began a strike to compel the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers  (AMPTP) to forge a new contract to address a number of critical issues, including the existential threat of Artificial Intelligence (AI) , streaming data transparency, shortened seasons, poor residuals, and the prevalence of shows’ "mini-rooms”.  

As the WGA states on their website,

which I urge you to visit to understand the stakes involved,"Writers are facing the most comprehensive assault on compensation and working conditions that they have seen in a generation. The studios have taken advantage of the transition to streaming to underpay entertainment industry workers, including writers in every area of work. Like too many working people across our economy, as corporate profits grow, writers are just not keeping up.” 

ABOVE: At the WGA Strong rally with 5,000 strikers and

supporters at the park at the La Brea Tar Pits.  Can you tell this photo was shot by a member of the cinematographers and crew union, IATSE?

I didn’t get his name, but I say “Thank you, kind sir!”.   

I’ve joined in solidarity as a SAG-AFTRA and AEA member by walking the picket lines at, so far, Sony, Netflix, and Paramount, and by using my loud voice to chant in unison with my fellow artists and encourage passers-by to honk in support.  

As we go to press on June 28th, my own leaders at SAG-AFTRA, President Fran Drescher and National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, armed  with an historic 97.91% membership vote to authorize a strike, are in the heat of negotiations with the Film and Television producers at the AMPTP.  Actors face many of the same issues as the artists at the WGA, with the threat of AI, poor residuals, health care costs, shortened seasons, and a lack of streaming data, and if no significant improvements can be agreed upon by our contract expiration date of June 30th, we will join the writers on the picket line as fellow strikers.

 We are aligned in unity to demand a fair deal. The energy and commitment by the writers and the passionate support from we actors, the IATSE,  and Teamsters membership are inspiring and it has been an honor to join them all on the picket lines. 

I’ve enjoyed meeting so many writers and seeing old friends as well: it’s been the strike’s silver lining.

The membership of the directors’ guild, the DGA, ratified their own deal with the AMPTP by 87% on June 23rd.  While Fran and Duncan have expressed enthusiasm about the negotiating process, we shall see what unfolds on June 30th. We’d all prefer to have business back at full strength, so let’s hope the AMPTP does the right thing for its artists’ communities, without which they have nothing new you’d care to watch.

National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator,  Duncan Crabtree-Ireland writes:

"There has been a sea change in the entertainment industry, from the proliferation of streaming platforms to the recent explosion of generative AI, and at stake is the ability of our members to make a living. We must ensure that new developments in the entertainment industry are not used to devalue or disrespect the performers who bring productions to life."

"To show our resolve and to enter into negotiations from the strongest position possible, your negotiating committee and National Board unanimously join in asking you to vote YES and authorize a strike. This does not mean that a strike will occur; it simply allows the National Board to call a strike if an agreement cannot be reached — and that gives the negotiating committee a strong place from which to begin talks."

Please visit SAG-AFTRA to stay up-to-date. 

ME TIME

with Kevin Hart, Regina Hall, Mark Wahlberg now on

 NETFLIX

(above: Sharon with Kevin Hart and the director John Hamburg [center in mask] in the background)

ME TIME held the top spot as the #1 Movie on NETFLIX

in the U.S. for 12 Days & the #1 Movie in Mexico for 7 Days.

It’s been a joy to see this wacky, heartfelt comedy find a large audience.  Not only was it a blast to play with Kevin, Regina Hall, Luis Gerardo Mendez, director John Hamburg, and my fellow agents-of-change at the gala, but learning about the ripples a film can initiate in our lives brings another layer of meaning.

What a pleasure it’s been to listen to the feedback from my parenting communities about what a fun release it was to kick back together, watch the movie, and laugh, and how much they related to the relationship dynamics.  I love the way the fizzy energy and vulnerability inherent in comedy can shift perspectives and connect people in new ways.  More, please!

COMING in 2023

THE DEATH THAT AWAITS

Cast & Crew Screening

I play Angela, a mother confounded by her daughter’s mysterious illness, trapped in emotional isolation, and struggling with her husband Reese, (Ron Yuan,"Monkey King” coming to Netflix) to maintain a stable family unit with their son Micah, (Tim Gabriel, “Stargirl”). The movie centers on my daughter, Nina (Megan Lawless, “The Girl From Plainville") and her caregiver Cassie (Katya Martin,"Promised Land" ), as a transformation rips the family apart.  Paul Johansson, (“God Is A Bullet”) plays the mysterious Dr. V., whose radical treatment plan seems to be having an effect. 

I’ll keep you posted on dates so we can meet me at an upcoming screening near you!

BELOW:  Family portrait at the screening

THE PORTRAIT

Heading to an air-conditioned cinema in the Middle East!  National and international distribution for the theatrical release of "The Portrait” is being negotiated currently,  and the first deal to be announced is with esteemed Front Row Filmed Entertainment,   out of Dubai. I’ll keep you posted on a stateside premiere.

(you won't see me in this trailer and mum’s the word on my role.)

The gothic thriller "The Portrait” stars Natalia Cordova-Buckley, Virginia Madsen, Ryan Kwanten, and Mark-Paul Gosselaar. In the vein of  Oscar Wilde’s “The Picture Of Dorian Grey” and the Henry James classic “The Turn Of The Screw”, this feature was shot at an estate steeped in the residue of faded glory, the 100-year-old Villa Narcissa, which is rumored to be “haunted” by an unhappy spirit.  This chilling tale debuts in 2023 on a major streamer. British duo writer/producer David Griffiths and director Simon Ross create an eerie atmosphere which envelops this story in an uncanny beauty.

B.F.F.R.

OF SILENCE AND SONG

PRO BONO

Summer Solstice, offering us the longest hours of daylight in our Northern Hemisphere and celebrated as the portal to summer, was glorious indeed, as I savored the brilliant show by Love And Rockets at the Gothic Theatre At The Ace Hotel, formerly the United Artists movie palace, one of the few remaining on what was once Los Angeles' cinema boulevard.  

It was a bittersweet reminder that new technology is often accompanied by vast cultural and economic change, and if our treasures and resources, especially our precious human creativity and the artistic communities which engender it, are disrespected and neglected, they will wither and die.

REPRESENTATION