Gilbert continued to star in a regular slate of TV movies of varying distinction throughout the late 1990s and 2000s, but in those years was perhaps best known for a behind-the-scenes roll, elected in 2001 as president of the Screen Actors Guild. Gilbert was a highly visible and occasionally controversial leader for the thespian's union, presiding over several bitterly fought negotiations than frequently prompted divisions and personal animosity within SAG's ranks--Nevertheless, she was eleceted to a second term in a viciously contended election in 2003. By 2005, however, she had her fill of fighting political battles and chose not to run for a third term, claiming that she felt she could no longer bear the tensions within the union and that the damaged relations between herself and fellow officials could never be healed.