Women will lead a SAG Awards show unlike any in its history
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Screen Actors Guild Awards will make their mark on this year's Oscars race on Sunday, but it will be the treatment of women in Hollywood and beyond that will remain at the forefront.
The show will feature a roster of almost all female presenters, Kristen Bell as its inaugural host, and an opening that will feature only actresses speaking about their craft.
Producers say the approach was inspired by last year's Women's March, but the show arrives at a time when some of the industry's biggest names are leading the Time's Up and Me Too movements to address gender inequality, sexual misconduct, pay disparities and other issues.
The brisk show comes two weeks after a blackdress protest at the Golden Globe Awards, and several stars including Meryl Streep, Emma Stone and Michelle Williams bringing activists to the show.
With many prominent men in Hollywood facing accusations of sexual misconduct, virtually every aspect of awards season has been impacted by the scandal. The SAG Awards are no different, with best film actor nominee James Franco having been accused of sexual misconduct in the days after winning best comedy actor at the Globes.
Franco has called some of the accusations inaccurate, but after two days of facing questions about the claims on late-night television, "The Disaster Artist" star has kept a lower profile. He did not attend last week's Critics' Choice Awards, where he also won an acting honor.
Comedian Aziz Ansari was accused anonymously by a woman of aggressive sexual behavior in an account that has prompted some to question whether the encounter as described constitutes misconduct or a bad date. Ansari is nominated for a SAG Award for best actor in a television comedy for his Netflix series "Master of None."
Ansari, who like Franco accepted a Globe award two weeks ago while wearing a Time's Up pin, has said he apologized immediately after the woman told him about her discomfort during an encounter he believed to be consensual.