I was once an Equity ASM on a show with about 10 people, none of whom wanted to be deputy. The idea was brought up of me being deputy, but a call was made to Equity, and we were told that the deputy couldn’t be from stage management. This was SPT, and a couple years ago, and maybe that position was taken because there were in fact other actors, however reluctant, to choose from. It made sense to me that SMs not be deputy candidates, since the deputy is meant to work with stage management to resolve issues; we work with ourselves all the time, so an actor’s perspective can be really helpful. It would also be nice if your actor felt a responsibility to be deputy, so he could proudly do his part in making sure the rules of our union (a union which provides him with a minimum salary and a slew of other protections) are upheld. But you already know that! I’d be interested to hear what Equity does tell you about this situation. Whatever the outcome, I hope it doesn’t create tension between you and the actor.