And The Actor goes to…
Last night, the biggest names in film and television gathered at LA’s Shrine Auditorium for the 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) Awards. This was the first SAG-AFTRA award show since settling the Union’s dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
“I hold you all with the highest esteem and greatest respect, for you are the champions,” acknowledged President of SAG-AFTRA, Fran Drescher.
She continued, “You survived the longest strike in our Union’s history with courage and conviction.”
The SAG Awards also set a precedent for all award shows as the first to stream live on Netflix. The new platform brought with it some major benefits including no commercials and limited language censoring. In his opening monologue, actor Idris Elba warned “maybe don’t say anything you wouldn’t say in front of Oprah.”
After battling it out at the box office, Oppenheimer beat out Barbie for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. Cillian Murphy also accepted Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of the film’s namesake.
Other highlights of the night included The Bear, which took home two awards. Jeremy Allen White won for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series and Ayo Edebiri accepted the award for Female Actor in a Comedy Series.
In her speech, Edebiri thanked her cast through a James Baldwin quote, “The act of love is really just an act of mirroring, and I think anything that anybody sees in me that’s worth anything is because of the people who love me and support me and have made me who I am,” she said.
Another memorable moment was Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s encouraging and uplifting acceptance speech for Female Actor in a Supporting Role for her portrayal of Mary Lamb in The Holdovers.
“Grief is a slippery emotion to capture and I thank you for creating an environment where I felt safe enough to explore the depths of Mary,” she thanked her cast and crew.
Randolph left the audience and fellow actors with this empowering message. “For every actor out there still waiting in the wings for their chance, let me tell you your life can change in a day. It is not a question of if, but when. Keep going.”
In addition to celebrating new work, the awards looked back at the moments that live in entertainment history. These tributes included reunions of iconic film ensembles including The Devil Wears Prada. Emily Blunt and Anne Hathaway joined Meryl Streep, who previously won Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for her role as Miranda Priestly.
Other reunions included SAG award winning ensembles including the cast of Breaking Bad, Lord of the Rings, and Modern Family.
EGOT winner Barbra Streisand was honored with the SAG Life Achievement Award for her “unparalleled talent” and her “ability to inhabit her characters with authenticity,” as noted in a press release.
In her introduction, Jennifer Aniston noted that presenting this award to Streisand at the Shrine was “particularly poetic,” as the Shrine was the first stage where Streisand “performed her first major concert in 1963.”
In her acceptance speech, Streisand recognized film’s unique ability to provide escape for both audiences and the “dreamers” behind the scenes.
“And I can’t help but think back to the people who built this industry. Ironically, they were also escaping their own troubles. Men like Szmuel Gelbfisz, who changed his name to Samuel Goldwyn and Lazar Meir, that became Louis B. Mayer. And the four Wonsal brothers that became Warner Brothers. They were all fleeing the prejudice they faced in Eastern Europe, simply because of their religion,” she explained before sharing her hopes for “a world where such prejudice is a thing of the past.”
Streisand ended her speech in gratitude to her “fellow actors and directors.”
“I’ve loved working with you, playing with you, and inhabiting that magical world of the movies with you. And most of all, I want to thank you for giving me so much joy just watching all of you on the screen. Thank you for that.”
See the full list of winners below:
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
- American Fiction
- Barbie
- The Color Purple
- Killers of the Flower Moon
- Oppenheimer – WINNER
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
- Bradley Cooper – Maestro
- Colman Domingo – Rustin
- Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers
- Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer – WINNER
- Jeffrey Wright – American Fiction
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
- Annette Bening – Nyad
- Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon – WINNER
- Carey Mulligan – Maestro
- Margot Robbie – Barbie
- Emma Stone – Poor Things
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
- Sterling K. Brown – American Fiction
- Willem Dafoe – Poor Things
- Robert De Niro – Killers of the Flower Moon
- Robert Downey Jr. – Oppenheimer – WINNER
- Ryan Gosling – Barbie
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
- Emily Blunt – Oppenheimer
- Danielle Brooks – The Color Purple
- Penelope Cruz – Ferrari
- Jodie Foster – Nyad
- Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers – WINNER
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
- The Crown
- The Gilded Age
- The Last of Us
- The Morning Show
- Succession – WINNER
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
- Abbot Elementary
- Barry
- The Bear – WINNER
- Only Murders in the Building
- Ted Lasso
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
- Brian Cox – Succession
- Billy Crudup – The Morning Show
- Kieran Culkin – Succession
- Matthew Macfadyen – Succession
- Pedro Pascal – The Last of Us – WINNER
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
- Jennifer Aniston – The Morning Show
- Elizabeth Debicki – The Crown
- Bella Ramsey – The Last of Us
- Keri Russell – The Diplomat
- Sarah Snook – Succession
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
- Alex Borstein – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
- Rachel Brosnahan – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
- Quinta Brunson – Abbott Elementary
- Ayo Edebiri – The Bear – WINNER
- Hannah Waddingham – Ted Lasso
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
- Brett Goldstein – Ted Lasso
- Bill Hader – Barry
- Ebon Moss-Bachrach – The Bear
- Jason Sudeikis – Ted Lasso
- Jeremy Allen White – The Bear – WINNER
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
- Uzo Aduba – Painkiller
- Kathryn Hahn – Tiny Beautiful Things
- Brie Larson – Lessons in Chemistry
- Bel Powley – A Small Light
- Ali Wong – Beef – WINNER
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
- Matt Bomer – Fellow Travelers
- Jon Hamm – Fargo
- David Oyelowo – Lawmen: Bass Reeves
- Tony Shalhoub – Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie
- Steven Yeun – Beef – WINNER
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series
- Ahsoka
- Barry
- Beef
- The Last of Us – WINNER
- The Mandalorian
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
- Barbie
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
- Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
- John Wick: Chapter 4
- Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One – WINNER