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sagaftra.org | Summer 2026 | SAG -AF TR A 57 only to his sister's generation-defining oeuvre, but he's also had a hand in producing chart-topping records for Selena Gomez, Halsey, Camila Cabello and others. Among the filmmakers he's composed music for are Greta Gerwig (Barbie), Cary Joji Fukunaga (No Time to Die) and Alfonso Cuarón (Disclaimer). Don't make the mistake of hitting play on his Beef Season 2 Original Soundtrack prior to initiating any task that requires productivity. Twenty seconds into the first track and you're left staring at the ceiling engulfed in existential regrets. With his cathartic approach to composition, often crafted from sounds recorded from life — lawn sprinklers and bees for Beef and an Australian crosswalk signal for "Bad Guy" — O'Connell conjures the kind of emotional experiences that reflect both the universality of human existence and the extremely specific. Any piece from his discography feels like it should be the narrative crux of a film that hasn't yet been released. "Only a Lifetime," the single from his 2021 debut studio album Optimist, evokes a dark-night-of-the-soul montage that might carry a lost hero into his life-altering third act. For O'Connell, the search for original sounds begins with a simple question: "What's something I've never recorded?" Rather than relying on built-in sounds available to anyone using the same software, he looks to the world around him for inspiration. "What's the thing that no one will have?" he said. "I'm walking around the world recording my footsteps and door slamming and stuff." Artistry Like Cross-Training O'Connell believes becoming a better artist means recognizing where your greatest strengths lie while remaining curious enough to keep exploring new creative disciplines. Working as a songwriter, producer, composer and actor, he describes creativity as a form of "cross-training," where practicing one craft often strengthens another. "There are things where I sort of feel my own lack of innate ability," he said. "And then as a producer, co-writer or something, I have this real feeling of confidence and assuredness. I see the yield." Whether composing for film, producing records or performing, O'Connell believes every creative pursuit informs the next. His advice to aspiring artists is to pursue the work they love, regardless of where it leads. "If it's the thing you're passionate about and it feels good to do for free, then that's the right thing to pursue, because each of those steps will feel good." Then, echoing the lesson his parents modeled throughout his childhood, he offers one final piece of advice: "Life is long and wide; do a little bit of everything." • Visit sagaftra.org/podcast to hear the entire episode. Finneas O'Connell and his sister, Billie Eilish, accept the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "No Time to Die," the theme from the James Bond film of the same name, at the 94th Academy Awards in 2022. Two years later, the siblings won a second Academy Award for Best Original Song for "What Was I Made For?" from Barbie. With their second win, O'Connell became the youngest man and Eilish the youngest person to win two competitive Oscars. At right, O'Connell and Eilish perform their Oscar-winning songs during the Academy Awards telecasts: "What Was I Made For?" in 2024, top, and "No Time to Die" in 2022, bottom. PHIL MCCARTEN/AMPAS KYUSUNG GONG/AMPAS BLAINE OHIGASHI/AMPAS Click here to watch National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland's conversation with Finneas O'Connell on SAG-AFTRA's YouTube channel.