By The Big Magazine Staff
Last night the 31st SAG Awards® caused a shakeup among Oscar predictors when Wicked left empty handed and Conclave won the award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast. Ralph Fiennes, Isabella Rossellini and John Lithgow accepted the award from Harrison Ford.
Actress Kristen Bell hosted the 31st SAG Awards® for the second time at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
Demi Moore won the award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a lead role for The Substance. She wore a custom black leather drop-waist gown designed by Bottega Veneta. This accolade represents her third major win, with Moore being a top contender for best actress in this year's Oscar forecasts.
Timothée Chalamet was named best leading actor for his role in a A Complete Unknown. He posted to his @tchalamet Instagram account:
"YEOOOOOOO I WON I CANT BELIEVE IT !!!!!!!"
"THANK YOU TO MY PEERS FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART !!!!!!! ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE SCREEN ACTORS GUILD !!! GUNNA CELEBRATE TONIGHT THANK U THANK U THANK U !!!!!!!"
Kieran Culkin won the award for Outstanding Performance by a male actor for his role in the A Real Pain. In his acceptance speech he said “Thank you for this incredibly heavy award,” Culkin (A Real Pain) said on Sunday night while accepting the SAG Award for male actor in a supporting role. “I don’t think there’s any way anyone can hold this for 45 seconds… which is the allotted time, Adrien Brody!”
He laughed before immediately clarifying that he was joking: “There was no reason to take that shot. I love you. Take your time.”
Culkin received a nomination alongside Jonathan Bailey (Wicked), Yura Borisov (Anora), Edward Norton (A Complete Unknown), and Jeremy Strong (The Apprentice).
Zoe Saldaña accepted her first SAG Award for best actress in a supporting role for Emilia Pérez. She wore a custom Saint Laurent black floor length velvet gown that featured one long sleeve, strapless neckline, and dramatic, sequin-covered sculptural shoulder detail.
“To be in this room…this is my community, this is my circus,” the actress started her acceptance speech. “Thank you to SAG-AFTRA. I got my first SAG card in 1998. I didn’t even know what SAG was. I am grateful that my mother and father and sisters looked it up and helped me educate myself to know what it means to be a part of a union that protects me so I can make a living out of this crazy industry.”
She continued, saying, “I am proud to be a part of a union that allows me to be who I am. I’ve never been questioned where I come from or judged for how I speak or what my pronouns are. Everyone has the right to be who they are. Emilia Pérez is about truth and love and us actors really have to tell stories that are thought-provoking and beautiful and live within the spectrum of artistic freedom.”
Award-winning entertainer, New York Times best-selling author, and gender equality advocate Lilly Singh, along with actor, comedian and equal rights activist Sasheer Zamata, hosted the Official Pre-Show. In addition to interviewing nominees, they announced the recipients of the Outstanding Stunt Ensemble awards, with the stunt team of Fall Guy winning for Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture and the stunt team of Shōgun winning Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series.
The historical drama Shōgun began the night with five nominations — more than any other series this year — ultimately winning in four categories, for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series and Anna Sawai receiving Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series and the cast receiving Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in addition to the stunt ensemble win.
In his opening remarks to show attendees SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland took “a moment to acknowledge the ongoing recovery and rebuilding of our beautiful city of angels.” He also commended the first responders — “the real angels on the front lines during the horrific wildfire season.”
“We're deeply honored to have a number of firefighters in our audience with us,” said Crabtree-Ireland.
He also asked all in attendance to extend gratitude to the broadcast journalist members of SAG-AFTRA who kept the region informed while experiencing great personal risk.
“Information is power and the sacrifices journalists made protected us and our loved ones.”
In the comedy categories, Martin Short received the Actor statuette for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series for Only Murders in the Building and Jean Smart received the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series for Hacks — her third statue for her role as Deborah Vance. The cast of Only Murders in the Building took home the honor for Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy Series.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus presented SAG-AFTRA’s highest honor, the SAG Life Achievement Award, to Jane Fonda, who's been lauded for her decades of advocacy as well as her commitment to the art of acting. The energy of the crowd compelled Fonda to remark, “Your enthusiasm makes this seem less like a late twilight of my life and more like a ‘Go girl! Kick ass!’ Which is good because I’m not done!”
Fonda went on to stress the importance of community and empathy in these difficult times, saying, “What actors create is empathy.”
“We are in our documentary moment,” Fonda said. “This is it and it's not a rehearsal. This is big-time serious folks. So let's be brave. We must stay in community. We must help the vulnerable.”
Fonda’s lifetime of accolades have included two Oscars, two BAFTA Awards, an Emmy, seven Golden Globes, the 2015 AFI Life Achievement Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, Elle’s Women in Hollywood Icon award and the Women in Film Jane Fonda Humanitarian Award, named after Fonda for her lifelong activism and philanthropic commitments. Most recently, she’s been selected to receive Public Counsel’s William O. Douglas Award for her commitment to social justice issues.
During her own speech, SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher gave thanks to the unions who made the night a success. She also stressed the need for her fellow humans to “get out of the head and get into the heart,” and take action to address climate change.
The ceremony took opportunities to applaud the work of first responders while providing a platform for disaster relief efforts and giving viewers a chance to donate to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s Disaster Relief Fund and members of LAFD were in attendance.
Also presenting were Ariana Grande, Ayo Edebiri, Bowen Yang, Colin Farrell, Colman Domingo, Cynthia Erivo, David Duchovny, Drew Starkey, Edward Norton, Elle Fanning, Fran Drescher, Gillian Anderson, Harrison Ford, Isabella Rossellini, Jack Quaid, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jessica Williams, Jodie Foster, Joey King, John Lithgow, Keke Palmer, Keri Russell, Kerry Washington, Kumail Nanjiani, Lily Gladstone, Lisa Kudrow, Marissa Bode, Mark Eydelshteyn, Max Greenfield, Michelle Yeoh, Mikey Madison, Millie Bobby Brown, Molly Shannon, Monica Barbaro, Pamela Anderson, Quinta Brunson, Ralph Fiennes, Selena Gomez, Sergio Castellitto, Timothée Chalamet, Yura Borisov, Zoe Saldaña and Zooey Deschanel, among others.
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