16STARS OF COLOR SWEEP SAGS
Boseman, Davis, Youn & Kaluuya make history
The late Chadwick Boseman added to his awards season haul Sunday with a Screen Actors Guild Award, as three other actors of color took home top honors.
For the first time in SAG Awards history, each of the four movie honors for individual actors went to performers of color; Boseman won best actor for his portrayal of a headstrong horn player in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”
His co-star Viola Davis, who plays blues icon Ma Rainey, won best actress for the movie, which centers on a contentious recording session during the 1920s.
Daniel Kaluuya won best supporting actor for playing Black Panther Party Chairman Fred Hampton in the historical drama “Judas and the Black Messiah,” while Yuh-Jung Youn was named best supporting actress for her performance as a grandmother in “Minari,” about a Korean-American family determined to start a new life in rural Arkansas.
“‘If you see the world unbalanced, be a crusader that pushes heavily on the seesaw of the mind,’ “Boseman’s wife, Simone Ledward Boseman said during a video-streamed acceptance on his behalf. “That’s a quote by Chadwick Boseman.”
Sunday’s top honor of outstanding cast in a motion picture went to “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” a historical drama about Vietnam War protesters.
Boseman, who died last year at 43 after a private four-year batter with colon cancer, made history before Sunday’s ceremony as the first actor to be nominated for four movie honors at a single SAG Awards ceremony.
He was also up for best supporting actor for the Spike Lee directed war drama “Da 5 Bloods.” His other nods came as part of the outstanding cast nominations for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “Da 5 Bloods.”
During his acceptance speech Sunday, Kaluuya dedicated his award to both Hampton and Boseman, whom he starred alongside in the 2018 Marvel superhero movie “Black Panther.” Davis, meanwhile, hailed “the beautiful Chadwick Boseman” during her speech.
“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” marked the final movie of Boseman’s career, and his performance has also won honors at the Golden Globes, NAACP Image Awards and Critics Choice Awards.
The virtual SAG Awards ceremony was pretaped and shortened to an hour due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nominees were informed who won their respective categories before Sunday’s broadcast on TNT and TBS, allowing the victors to provide speeches ahead of time.
The awards were voted on by members of the Screen Actors Guild.
On the TV side of Sunday’s ceremony, “Schitt’s Creek,” about a rich family losing its fortune, continued its awards show dominance by winning outstanding performance by an ensemble in a comedy series.
“Thank you so much to SAG-AFTRA for this insane honor,” co-creator and star Dan Levy said. “I want to take a moment to acknowledge the rest of this incredible ensemble of actors who made comedy look absolutely effortless with their skill and their dedication.”
Catherine O’Hara, who plays family matriarch Moira Rose on “Schitt’s Creek,” also won best performance by an actress in a comedy series, meaning she’s now swept the major TV honors after previously winning the equivalent award at the Emmys, Golden Globes, TCA Awards and Critics Choice Awards.
Entering the ceremony, “Schitt’s Creek” and the royal drama series “The Crown” led all TV shows or movies with five nominations apiece.
Both received two honors, with “The Crown” winning outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series, and Gillian Anderson winning best actress in the genre for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher.
Anya-Taylor Joy, meanwhile, took home the trophy for actress in a TV movie or limited series for her portrayal of a chess prodigy in Netflix’s binge-worthy “The Queen’s Gambit.”