Oppenheimer continued to shine during Hollywood's awards season on Saturday, winning the top prize for best actor, along with awards for Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr., at the 30th Screen Actors Guild Awards.
With the Oscars just around the corner, Christopher Nolan's blockbuster biopic — already a Golden Globe and BAFTA winner — is increasingly looking like a favorite. The SAG Awards, one of the Oscars' top prospects, will only add momentum to Oppenheimer's film, a leading Oscar contender with 13 nominations.
The SAG Awards were broadcast live on Netflix, a first for a major Hollywood awards ceremony. This brought about some important modifications to the ancient traditions of such celebrations. There were no ads. Profanity was permitted. (“Never say anything you wouldn't say in front of Oprah,” Idris Elba said.) The winners were sometimes interviewed backstage by red carpet co-host Tan France — sometimes awkwardly, sometimes charmingly.
The SAG Awards don't always mean Oscar success. Two of the last five guild winners (“The Trial of the Chicago 7” and “Black Panther”) lost at the Oscars. But in the past two years, all five of the major SAG Awards — best ensemble and four acting winners — have aligned with eventual Oscar winners, including the ensembles Everything Everywhere, All at Once and Coda.
That would mean the SAGs showed a preview of the Oscars in two of the close contests: Best Actor and Best Actress.
The most exciting award of the night went to Lily Gladstone for her role as actress in Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon. No category was more hotly contested, with analysts split evenly between Gladstone and Emma Stone for Bad Things.
But Gladstone won on Saturday and the crowd erupted. Stone also stood up and applauded loudly. There may be more Oscar nominees this year than Gladstone. Her win would be a first for Native Americans.
“We are bringing compassion to a world that desperately needs it,” Gladstone said. “It's so easy to distance ourselves. It's so easy to shut down and stop feeling. And we all continue to feel bravely. This humanizes people. This brings people out of the shadows. It brings vision.”
Murphy and Paul Giamatti (“The Holdovers”) were also seen in a neck and neck contest. But Murphy has now won the SAGs, BAFTAs and Globes, suggesting he has a clear advantage heading into the Oscars.
Downey Jr. and Joey Randolph both won for their supporting performances, which also cemented their status as Oscar nominees.
“Why me? Why now? Why do things seem to be going my way?” Downey Jr. said as he accepted his first SAG Award for Performance in a Movie. “Unlike my fellow candidates, I will never tire of my voice.”
Randolph's performance in Alexander Payne's “The Holdovers” was a breakout role for the 37-year-old actor. And now, it looks like she's on the cusp of winning an Oscar.
“To every actor still waiting for their chance, let me tell you: Your life can change in one day,” Randolph said. “It's not a matter of if, but when. It keeps going.”
After more than two decades of airing on TNT and TBS amid dwindling viewership, Netflix has acquired the telecast rights to the SAG Awards in early 2023. Netflix, the dominant force for years in awards season, also becomes the host.
“I personally can't wait to get home and ask Netflix to recommend this show to me based on all the other things I watch myself,” Idris Elba, the night's actual director, joked.
The television awards went largely to the same shows that scooped Emmys and Golden Globes: “The Bear” (Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series, Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri); “Beef” (Ali Wong, Steven Yeun); And the crew of the movie “Caliphate”.
The only exception was Pedro Pascal, who won best actor in a drama series for “The Last of Us” over three of the stars of “Succession.”
“This is wrong for several reasons,” Pascal said, looking stunned. “I'm a little drunk. I thought I could get drunk.”
This year's SAG Awards come on the heels of a grueling, multi-month strike in which the SAG-AFTRA union fought a bitter battle over a number of issues. Much of the downtime has been caused by changes in the film and television industry caused by streaming and the big change led by Netflix.
“Your solidarity has ignited the passion of workers around the world, leading to what will forever be remembered as the 'Hot Summer of Work,'” said Fran Drescher, President of SAG-AFTRA. “This was a defining moment in the history of our union.”
The new streaming platform is sure to shed more light on one of the most closely watched Oscars prognosticators. Voting for the Oscars ends on Tuesday.
Barbra Streisand captured the audience's attention while accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by Jennifer Aniston and Bradley Cooper.
“I remember dreaming about being an actress when I was a teenager sitting in my bed in Brooklyn with a pint of coffee and ice cream and a movie magazine,” said Streisand, who recalled being distraught over her “first crush” on Marlon Brando.
Streisand also took time to celebrate Jewish pioneers in Hollywood.
“Now I dream of a world where this prejudice is a thing of the past,” she said.
Saturday's show was one of Netflix's most significant forays yet into streaming events. Netflix previously hosted a live comedy special with Chris Rock, a celebrity golf tournament, and a live-action “Love Is Blind” episode that was marred by technical difficulties. But Netflix is preparing for more. On March 3, a live tennis event will be broadcast.
