Local actress to have her say

A New Iberia woman will have a small part in deciding the winners of tonight’s Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Gail Boudreaux cast a ballot for the awards show, which recognizes outstanding performances in television and film. The awards show airs tonight on TBS and TNT.

“It’s really kind of a thrill,” Boudreaux said. “I joined about a year ago, and this is the first time I got to vote.”

Boudreaux is a member of the Screen Actors Guild, a labor union of over 120,000 film and television performers worldwide.

She has worked in television and radio since the 1970s, including roles in commercials, newscasts and films.

“I became eligible a number of years ago, but I didn’t join,” Boudreaux said, because she was already a member of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. “I waited (for the two unions to merge) over the years, and I just got tired of waiting.”

Boudreaux voted in 15 categories, including outstanding performance by a cast, male actor, and female actor.

Among her choices were George Clooney for his leading role in “Michael Clayton,”  Ruby Dee for her supporting role in “American Gangster” and Tommy Lee Jones for best supporting actor for his work in “No Country for Old Men.”

Boudreaux will appear as an extra in Jones’ upcoming film, “In the Electric Mist,” part of which was filmed in New Iberia.

She previously had roles in “Jailbirds” alonside Felecia Rashad and Dianne Cannon, “Dark Angel” with Eric Roberts and “Failure to Launch” starring Matthew McConaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker.

Boudreaux also worked in news for KATC, KADN and a local TV magazine on Headline News and appeared on commercials that aired regionally and nationwide.