Screen Actors Guild Awards
Oldman, Janney, Rockwell honored
Nicole Kidman accepts the award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a television movie or limited series for “Big Little Lies” at the 24th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday.
Los Angeles — The Screen Actors Guild Awards is tipping the scales for some Oscar hopefuls with a best actor win for Gary Oldman for his transformation into Winston Churchill for “Darkest Hour” and supporting actor wins for “I, Tonya’s” Allison Janney and Sam Rockwell for his role in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.”
The SAG Awards are a reliable predictor of the winner for the best actor and actress Academy Awards; this year’s show comes two days before Oscar nominations are announced.
The SAG Awards have no best picture category, but rather ensemble awards that recognize a film or TV show’s entire cast. Besides “Three Billboards,” the nominees for outstanding cast in a motion picture are “The Big Sick,” ‘‘Get Out,” ‘‘Lady Bird” and “Mudbound.”
But it is the treatment of women in Hollywood and beyond that remains at the forefront of the show, which features a roster of almost all female presenters, and Kristen Bell as its inaugural host.
“We are living in a watershed moment,” Bell said in her opening monologue, which stayed light and mostly clear of politics. “Let’s make sure that we’re leading the charge with empathy and diligence. Because fear and anger never win the race.”
Oldman won the top actor prize over James Franco for “The Disaster Artist,” which marked the second time in the evening, after William H. Macy won out over Aziz Ansari, where a potentially awkward moment was avoided on live television when a man facing allegations of sexual misconduct did not win in his category.
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. He accepted a Golden Globe two weeks ago while wearing a Time’s Up pin, as did Franco who was accused of misconduct days after winning best comedy actor at the Globes.
Rockwell, who beat out his co-star Woody Harrelson for the award, took his moment on stage to give a shout out his co-star Frances McDormand, who is nominated for her leading role in “Three Billboards,” which went into the evening with four nominations, including best ensemble.
“Frances, you’re a powerhouse,” Rockwell said. “I stand shoulder to shoulder with you and all the incredible women in this room who are trying to make things better. It’s long overdue.”
SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris said, “This is not a moment in time. This is a movement.”
“We must create an environment in which harassment discrimination and abuse are no longer tolerated,” Carteris said.
Early television wins included Julia Louis-Dreyfus for actress in a comedy series for “Veep,” which also won outstanding comedy ensemble, and Macy for actor in a comedy series for “Shameless.”