鈥淏lack Panther鈥� took the top award at Sunday鈥檚 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards, giving Ryan Coogler鈥檚 superhero sensation its most significant awards-season honour yet and potentially setting up Wakanda for a major role at next month鈥檚 Academy Awards.
The two leading Oscar nominees 鈥� 鈥淩oma鈥� and 鈥淭he Favourite鈥� 鈥� were bypassed by the actors guild for a best ensemble field that also included 鈥淏lacKkKlansman,鈥� 鈥滳razy Rich Asians,鈥� 鈥滲ohemian Rhapsody鈥� and 鈥淎 Star Is Born.鈥� Although 鈥淏lack Panther鈥� wasn鈥檛 nominated for any individual SAG Awards, it took home the final award at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
Before a stage full of actors, Chadwick Boseman tried to put into context the moment for the trailblazing 鈥淏lack Panther,鈥� which also won for its stunt performer ensemble. 鈥淭o be young, gifted and black,鈥� he said, quoting the Nina Simone song.
鈥淲e know what it鈥檚 like to be told there isn鈥檛 a screen for you to be featured on, a stage for you to be featured on. 鈥� We know what鈥檚 like to be beneath and not above. And that is what we went to work with every day,鈥� said Boseman. 鈥淲e knew that we could create a world that exemplified a world we wanted to see. We knew that we had something to give.鈥�
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The win puts 鈥淏lack Panther鈥� squarely in contention for best picture at the Academy Awards where it鈥檚 nominated for seven honours including best picture. Actors make up the largest percentage of the academy, so their preferences can have an especially large impact on the Oscar race. In the last decade the SAG ensemble winner has gone on to win best picture at the Academy Awards half of the time.
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 鈥淭he Wife.鈥� In her speech, she spoke about the power of film in a multiscreen world.
鈥淥ne of the most powerful things we have as human beings are two eyes looking into two eyes,鈥� said Close. 鈥淔ilm is the only art form that allows us the close-up.鈥�
Malek, wining best actor over Christian Bale (鈥淰ice鈥�) and Bradley Cooper (鈥淎 Star Is Born鈥�) for his performance in 鈥淏ohemian Rhapsody,鈥� seemingly sealed the Oscar many are predicting for him. Malek鈥檚 awards are mounting even as the director of 鈥淏ohemian Rhapsody,鈥� 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.
鈥淚 get some power from him that鈥檚 about stepping up and living your best life, being exactly who you want to be and accomplishing everything you so desire,鈥� said Malek.
More surprising was Emily Blunt鈥檚 best supporting actress win for her performance in the horror thriller 鈥淎 Quiet Place.鈥� Blunt, also nominated by the guild for her lead performance in 鈥淢ary Poppins Returns,鈥� was visibly shocked. She wasn鈥檛 among Tuesday鈥檚 Oscar nominees for either film.
鈥淕uys. That truly has blown my slicked hair back,鈥� said Blunt, who praised her husband and 鈥淎 Quiet Place鈥� director John Krasinski as a 鈥渟tunning filmmaker.鈥� 鈥漈hank you for giving me the part. You would have been in major trouble if you hadn鈥檛.鈥�
Best supporting actor in a film went more as expected. Mahershala Ali, who won two years ago for 鈥淢oonlight,鈥� won for his performance in Peter Farrelly鈥檚 interracial road trip 鈥淕reen Book.鈥�
The Amazon series 鈥淭he Marvelous Mrs. Maisel鈥� won the first three awards handed out Sunday, 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 (鈥淏arry鈥�) and Michael Douglas (鈥淭he Kominsky Method鈥�).
鈥淲e cannot thank you enough,鈥� said Shalhoub, speaking for the cast. 鈥淪tay with us.鈥�
Tom Hanks presented the lifetime achievement award to Alan Alda , who in July revealed that he had been living with Parkinson鈥檚 disease for more than three years. The 83-year-old actor took the stage to a standing ovation while the theme to 鈥淢.A.S.H鈥� played. He said the award came at a reflective moment for him.
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鈥淚 see more than ever now how proud I am to be a part of our brotherhood and sisterhood of actors,鈥� said Alda. 鈥淚t may never have been more urgent to see the world through another person鈥檚 eyes. When a culture is divided so sharply, actors can help 鈥� a least a little 鈥� just by doing what we do. And the nice part is it鈥檚 fun to do it. So my wish for all of us is: Let鈥檚 stay playful.鈥�
For the second time, the cast of 鈥淭his Is Us鈥� won best ensemble in a drama series. Other TV winners included Sandra Oh (鈥淜illing Eve鈥�), Darren Criss for 鈥淎ssassination of Gianni Versace鈥�, Jason Bateman (鈥淥zark鈥�) and Patricia Arquette (鈥淓scape at Dannemora鈥�). Arquette thanked Special Counsel investigator Robert Mueller 鈥渁nd everyone working to make sure we have sovereignty for the United States of America.鈥�
The SAG Awards had one thing the Oscars don鈥檛: a host. Emcee Megan Mullally kicked off the awards by tweaking their role among the many honours leading up to next month鈥檚 Oscars. She called the SAGs 鈥渢he greatest honour an actor can receive this weekend.鈥�
The show did not boost the chances of other Oscar hopefuls, 鈥淎 Star Is Born,鈥� 鈥漈he Favourite鈥� and 鈥淏lacKkKlansman,鈥� which were all shut out Sunday night.
Among the attendees Sunday was Geoffrey Owens, the 鈥淐osby Show鈥� actor who caused a stir when he was photographed working at a New Jersey Trader Joe鈥檚. He was among the performers who began the show with the SAG Awards鈥� typical 鈥淚 am an actor鈥� testimony. The SAGs also made time for one reunion: 鈥淔atal Attraction鈥� stars Michael Douglas and Glenn Close joined each other on stage as presenters.
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Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
