SAG-AFTRA Foundation to Release Its Legacy Collection

Photo courtesy of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation

Newly digitized archive includes longform interviews with David Carradine, Cyd Charisse, Henry Fonda, Kathleen Freeman, Tippi Hedren, Dennis Hopper, Jane Russell and dozens more

The SAG-AFTRA Foundation is releasing its Legacy Collection, a series of never-before-seen, long-form interviews recorded between 1979 and 2012 with legendary performing artists and industry luminaries. The collection was captured on a variety of physical media formats and digitized during the pandemic. It contains unique interviews with influential actors and pioneering performers, including David Carradine, Cyd Charisse, Henry Fonda, Kathleen Freeman, Tippi Hedren, Dennis Hopper, Jane Russell, and dozens more. In addition, the Legacy Collection includes contemporary trailblazers who continue to perform and influence culture today.

“We are elated to share the Foundation’s remarkable Legacy Collection with our community, our industry, and the greater public. These extraordinary interviews with some of the all-time greatest actors will undoubtedly illuminate the history and craft of acting, and inspire working actors and creatives for decades to come,” says Courtney B. Vance, President and Chairman of the Board of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. “And for everyone out there who purely loves film and television, and admires the work of these icons, order your popcorn in bulk, and get ready for many hours of thoughtful discussion and charming anecdotes from these giants of entertainment and masters of performance.”

The Foundation will release three 12-episode seasons of its Legacy Collection in 2024, for a total of 36 interviews, with more seasons to come in 2025. The first season, entitled “Emmy Winners,” kicks off today featuring an interview with Robert Duvall from 2010. The subsequent episodes feature Viola Davis, Henry Winkler, Jessica Walter, Peter Dinklage, Doris Roberts, S. Epatha Merkerson, William Shatner, Edie Falco, Edward James Olmos, Jean Smart, and Alfre Woodard. Episodes will be published on the Foundation’s YouTube channel and will be added to the Legacy Collection playlist every Monday and Thursday for the next six weeks.

The second season of the Legacy Collection, “Icons,” will be released in September and features digitized long-form interviews with Cyd Charisse and Tony Martin, Charlton Heston, Ernest Borgnine, Ralph Bellamy, Rod Steiger, Dennis Hopper, Kathleen Freeman, Norman Lloyd, Tippi Hedren, Farrah Fawcett, Jane Russell, and David Carradine. The third season, “Oscar Winners,” will be released in November and features interviews with Henry Fonda, Forest Whitaker, Rita Moreno, Shirley MacLaine, Marlee Matlin, Michael Caine, Kathy Bates, Cliff Robertson, Mary Steenburgen, Ben Kingsley, Ellen Burstyn, and Christopher Walken.

To receive notifications when a new episode of the Legacy Collection is published and ready to watch, subscribe to the Foundation’s YouTube Channel at youtube.com/SAGAFTRAfoundation. Episodes will also be promoted on the Foundation’s social media channels.