Character actors are the face of Disneyland. Now they’ve unionized

The actors who play iconic Disney characters like Snow White and Luke Skywalker have unionized to address safety concerns and low pay.

Adam Hefner has worked at Disneyland for seven years, mostly in the character department, embodying the world-famous and deeply beloved characters that Disney is known for. Hefner, who uses “they/he” pronouns, was hired to play Star Wars characters and loved it, finding “magic for myself,” they said. The character actors pride themselves on being one of the biggest-selling points of the resort. “You have the same exact attractions year over year,” Hefner said. “We’re the reason people come back.”