'The Wrestler' director calls for a wrestling union

Apparently through working on this film, Aronofsky has also gained a newfound respect for the men and women who perform in the pro wrestling industry. In an interview he recently did with Alfonso Castillo, who writes as part of “The Steel Cage” on Newsday.com, he calls for wrestlers to be able to join the Screen Actors Guild, which is the union that serves actors in Hollywood. Aronofsky was quoted as saying:

"You make choices in life to do certain things. I just believe you’ve got to be responsible for your choices. I don’t think it’s worth blaming anyone. But I think the problem starts with the fact that they’re not organized and they’re not unionized. That’s the main problem. I mean, there’s really no reason why these guys are not in SAG. They’re as much screen actors as stuntmen. If not more. They’re in front of a camera performing and doing stunts, and they should have that protection. That’s the only thing that for me came out of it. Why doesn’t SAG help get these guys organized? They’re on TV performing. Or, if they’re not even on TV, the ring is a theater. So they’re not just screen actors, they’re theater actors. They’re performers. They should have insurance and they should have health insurance and they should be protected.”...More?

source: examiner.com