In a season of upsets, Black Panther was adjudged the best film while actor Rami Malik and Emily Blunt were honoured as lead actors at SAG
At 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards, Black Panther took the top award, giving Ryan Coogler’s superhero sensation its most significant awards-season honour yet and potentially setting up Wakanda for a major role at next month’s Academy Awards.
The two leading Oscar nominees — Roma and The Favourite — were bypassed by the actors guild for a best ensemble field that also included BlacKkKlansman, Crazy Rich Asians, Bohemian Rhapsody and A Star Is Born. Although Black Panther wasn’t nominated for any individual SAG Awards, it took home the final award.
In the lead acting categories, Glenn Close and Rami Malek solidified themselves as front-runners with wins that followed their triumphs at the Golden Globes. The 71-year-old Close, a seven-time nominee but never an Oscar winner, won best actress for her performance in The Wife. In her speech, she spoke about the power of film in a multiscreen world.
“One of the most powerful things we have as human beings are two eyes looking into two eyes,” said Close. “Film is the only art form that allows us the close-up.”
Malek, winning the best actor over Christian Bale Vice and Bradley Cooper A Star Is Born for his performance in Bohemian Rhapsody, seemingly sealed the Oscar many are predicting for him. Malek’s awards are mounting even as the director of the film Bryan Singer, is facing multiple accusations of sexual assault with minors. Singer has denied the claims.
As he did at the Globes, Malek dedicated his award to Mercury. “I get some power from him that’s about stepping up and living your best life, being exactly who you want to be and accomplishing everything you so desire,” said Malek.
More surprising was Emily Blunt’s best supporting actress win for her performance in the horror thriller A Quiet Place. Blunt, also nominated by the guild for her lead performance in Mary Poppins Returns, was visibly shocked.
“Guys. That truly has blown my slicked hair back,” said Blunt, who praised her husband and the director John Krasinski as a “stunning filmmaker.” Thank you for giving me the part. You would have been in major trouble if you hadn’t.”
Best supporting actor in a film went more as expected. Mahershala Ali, who won two years ago for Moonlight, won for his performance in Peter Farrelly’s interracial road trip Green Book.
The Amazon series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel won the first three awards, sweeping the comedy series awards. It won best ensemble in a comedy series, as well as individual honours for Rachel Brosnahan and Tony Shalhoub, whose win was a surprise in a category that included Bill Hader Barry and Michael Douglas The Kominsky Method.
“We cannot thank you enough,” said Shalhoub, speaking for the cast. “Stay with us.”
Tom Hanks presented the lifetime achievement award to Alan Alda, who revealed that he had been living with Parkinson’s disease for more than three years. The actor took the stage to a standing ovation while the theme to M.A.S.H played. He said the award came at a reflective moment for him.
“I see more than ever now how proud I am to be a part of our brotherhood and sisterhood of actors,” said Alda. “It may never have been more urgent to see the world through another person’s eyes. When a culture is divided so sharply, actors can help — at least a little — just by doing what we do. And the nice part is it’s fun to do it. So my wish for all of us is, Let’s stay playful.”
Hanks praised Alda’s decades of philanthropy and love of science and learning before introducing clips from Alda’s career, which included his roles in the films Same Time, Next Year and The Aviator, and the TV shows The West Wing and The Blacklist.
While actors are accustomed to being on camera, not every starry moment at the Screen Actors Guild Awards makes it to the screen. There were some moments that took place off-camera.
YOUNG, GIFTED AND BLACK
Moments after winning the night’s top honour, Chadwick Boseman expounded on his definition of the song To Be Young, Gifted and Black backstage after Black Panther won the show’s top award.
Boseman said the song by Nina Simone is one of his favorites and the title is among his top “sayings in poetry.” The actor said breaking through while being black even with talent is a “difficult task.”
“It speaks of the fact that you have the same dreams as other people. You have equal or more talent at times, but you don’t have the same opportunities,” said he.
GETTING CLOSE TO A SAG TROPHY
Glenn Close was mesmerised by the SAG trophy before she got her own to take home. Close said that all night she’d been looking at an image of the trophy and admiring the physique of the actor it depicts.
I was thinking “who modelled for that?” she said as she looked at the SAG Award she had just won for best actress in a film for The Wife.
EMILY GETS BLUNT
If Emily Blunt could give advice to her younger self just getting a SAG card, she would tell her younger version to not watch too many movies.
“The main thing I’ve learned over the years is you have to be open,” said Blunt. “Have experiences, soak up the world. Don’t watch too many movies even.”
Blunt said filming the birth scene was a “daunting” task. “I would say emotionally it was the most daunting to do the whole birth scene. We would shoot it for five days straight, that was probably the most daunting.”
Blunt said she was just as surprised to win her award as her husband John Krasinski, who directed and starred in the film. “My favorite thing about A Quiet Place for sure to was working with John. A lot of people said, you’re going to be divorced before it’s over. They were wrong, it brought us closer,” she said.
COMMERCIAL BREAK GIVES TIME TO MINGLE
Many of the stars mingled among each other during the commercial break at the awards.
Actress Glenn Close was backstage having a chat with Angela Bassett and her husband Courtney B Vance. Close smiled and placed her hand on Bassett’s shoulder as the three broke into laughter, about 10 minutes before Close won an award for best female actor in a leading role.
While dinner music played, Tracy Morgan walked between tables with his wife, giving handshakes to several attendees.
Meanwhile, Viggo Mortensen and Emily Blunt in separate moments rushed back to their seat to catch Tom Hanks present Alan Alda with SAG’s Life Achievement Award.
LILY’S TOUGH TIME
The awards is also a union meeting of sorts, and Lily Tomlin had the hard job of trying to make announcements to a crowd that was still taking its seats.
Before the telecast began, Tomlin took the stage to urge the stars in the room to donate their time and money to the charitable SAG-AFTRA Foundation. Tomlin told the audience that Oprah Winfrey had recently volunteered, and “if Oprah can make time, so can you.”
Most were chatting and scrambling to get to their seats while Tomlin talked. “It doesn’t matter,” Tomlin said, “I’ve played tougher rooms.”
The SAG Awards had one thing the Oscars don’t — a host. Emcee Megan Mullally kicked off the awards by tweaking their role among the many honours leading up to next month’s Oscars.
She called the SAGs “the greatest honour an actor can receive this weekend.
