Getting your SAG card. That’s the goal all actors are striving towards (if they don’t have it already). Here, some of today’s hottest stars reveal the story behind the job that landed them that honor.
“I got my SAG card doing the first ever commercial for Dasani bottled water. I thought I only got the part because of my red hair but then the commercial was shot in black and white and I realized I got the part because I could sell the s— out of overpriced bottled water.” —Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family
“Fran Van Hartesveldt, a commercial agent in town, explained to me that to get a SAG card, I needed a job and to get a job, I needed a SAG card. He had pity on me and gave me one line in a show called The Great Gildersleeve. Years later, when I got my own show, I hired Fran as one of my writers.” —Betty White
“I got my SAG card with one line in the movie, The Doors. I was very sassy with [director] Oliver Stone in my audition, so he offered me the job on the spot. In every take I kept making the line a little longer until Oliver yelled at me.” — Lisa Edelstein, House
“I got it on a TV show called “Throb”, playing a little kid who stalks Jane Leeves.” — Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met YourMother
“The first thing I ever auditioned for was an anti-drug PSA. They didn’t pay me to do the commercial, but they gave me my SAG card.” — Alison Brie, Community.
“I got my SAG card when I auditioned for a show called “Kate and Allie”. I was cast for the pilot as the guy who dated both Kate and Allie. I remember the writer looking at me and saying, ‘God, I keep hiring actors that aren’t union, but you’re the one. So do you mind getting your card?’ I said, ‘No, in fact, I’ve been trying to get my card for some time now.” — Kelsey Grammer
To read more stars recollections, go to: tvguide.com
