Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/681774
For Members 20 SAG-AFTRA | Spring 2016 | SAGAFTRA.org I t was the morning of Dec. 17, 2014, and presidents Barack Obama of the United States and Raul Castro of Cuba announced huge, historic news: the restoration of diplomatic relations between the two countries. In a matter of months, everything would change for the Caribbean island. To Hollywood, Cuba has been a forbidden, exotic place, but now the gates are slowly opening. Productions are starting to be shot there, benefitting from a landscape never before explored by the U.S. entertainment industry. Showtime's House of Lies made history by becoming the first scripted U.S. show to shoot an episode in Cuba. "The world just got bigger because Cuba has become accessible," said creator Matthew Carnahan. The series' star, Don Cheadle, found the locals hired to work the shoot to be warm and welcoming. "They were really great to us and were exceptional and very professional. We could shoot everywhere we wanted to shoot," he said. "I didn't know how much of our television and movies they were aware of, [but] a lot of it gets there. The people knew me and I was pretty surprised." Other productions are looking to Havana as well. Universal Pictures recently shot scenes for the eighth installment of The Fast and the Furious on the tropical island. Last December, the organizers of the Havana Film Festival invited SAG-AFTRA to participate in the festival. The union's delegation built important relationships and established SAG-AFTRA as an important institution with Cuban actors, producers and government agencies, including the Cinema Institute, as well as Havana-based U.S. officials and U.S. industry counterparts from the MPAA and HBO, among others. Then-Executive Vice President Gabrielle Carteris and Secretary-Treasurer Jane Austin led dialogues with top Cuban performers, and National Executive Director David White and Chief Operations Officer Duncan Crabtree-Ireland presented to packed rooms of industry players on performer protections and intellectual property rights. "This new era of relations with Cuba can mean potential opportunities for our members, and it was important that we start connecting with local decision-makers right from the start," Carteris said. "It was fascinating to learn from the people in such an amazing and interesting country and I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship." "Our trip to Cuba was very productive, and necessary given the increasing amount of producers interested in shooting there. Wherever our members go, SAG-AFTRA is there to represent them. We planted the union flag and laid a very solid foundation for our performers who will be working there in the future," Austin said. SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director David White said that whatever potential new opportunities may arise for members, the union's contracts will still guarantee basic protections. "Members who are considering overseas work should remember: Wherever they work around the globe, as long as they work under a SAG-AFTRA contract, they can be sure the union has their backs," he said. And that's something Cheadle appreciates. "I've never had a crisis situation and the need to call on the union. Of course it's good to know if you need it, it's there," Cheadle said. 'THE WORLD JUST GOT BIGGER …' AS U.S. RELATIONS WITH CUBA THAW, INDUSTRY LOOKS TO HAVANA MICHAEL DESMOND/SHOWTIME Below, actors Ben Schwartz, Josh Lawson, Don Cheadle and Kristen Bell film an episode of House of Lies in Havana, Cuba. Bottom, Chief Operating Officer Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, then-Executive Vice President Gabrielle Carteris, Secretary-Treasurer Jane Austin and National Executive Director David White attend the Havana Film Festival.