The unlikely awards season juggernaut 鈥淓verything Everywhere All at Once鈥� marched on at the on Sunday, and even gathered steam with wins not just for best ensemble, and but also for Jamie Lee Curtis.
The SAG Awards, often an Oscar preview, threw some curve balls into the Oscars race in a ceremony streamed live on from Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles.
But the clearest result of the SAG Awards was the overwhelming success of Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert鈥檚 madcap multiverse tale, which has now used its hotdog fingers to snag top honors from the acting, directing and producing guilds. Only one film (鈥淎pollo 13鈥�) had won all three and not gone on to win best picture at the Oscars.
After so much of the cast of had already been on the stage to accept awards, the night鈥檚 final moment belonged to 94-year-old James Hong, a supporting player in the film and a trailblazer for Asian American representation in Hollywood. He brought up the ignoble yellowface history of the 1937 film 鈥淭he Good Earth.鈥�
鈥淭he leading role was played with these guys with their eyes taped up like this and they talked like this because the producers said the Asians were not good enough and they were not box office,鈥� said Hong. 鈥淏ut look at us now!鈥�
Hong added that the cast of 鈥淓verything Everywhere All at Once鈥� wasn鈥檛 all Chinese, though he granted Jamie Lee Curtis had a good Chinese name. Curtis鈥� win was one of the most surprising of the night, coming over the longtime favorite, Angela Bassett (鈥淏lack Panther: Wakanda Forever鈥�), who had seemed to be on a clear path to becoming the first actor to win an Oscar for a performance in a Marvel movie.
A visibly moved Curtis said she was wearing the wedding ring her father, Tony Curtis, gave her mother, Janet Leigh.
鈥淚 know you look at me and think 鈥楴epo baby,鈥欌�� said Curtis, who won in her first SAG nomination. 鈥淏ut the truth of the matter is that I鈥檓 64 years old and this is just amazing.鈥�
The actors guild, though, lent some clarity to the lead categories. Though some have seen best actress as a toss up between Yeoh and BAFTA winner Cate Blanchett (鈥淭谩r鈥�), Yeoh again took home the award for best female lead performance.
鈥淭his is not just for me,鈥� said Yeoh, the first Asian actress to win the SAG Award for female lead. 鈥淚t鈥檚 for every little girl that looks like me.鈥�
Quan, the former child star, also won for best supporting male actor. The 鈥淓verything Everywhere All at Once鈥� co-star had left acting for years after auditions dried up. He鈥檚 also the first Asian to win best male supporting actor at the SAG Awards.
鈥淲hen I stepped away from acting, it was because there were so few opportunities,鈥� said Quan. 鈥淣ow, tonight we are celebrating James Hong, Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Hong Chau, Harry Shum Jr. The landscape looks so different now.鈥�
Some online commentators suggested there was irony in Mark Wahlberg, who presented best ensemble, handing out the night鈥檚 final award to a film with a predominantly Asian and Asian American cast. In 1988, a 16-year-old Wahlberg attacked two Vietnamese men while trying to steal beer near his home in Dorchester, Massachusetts. Wahlberg, who said race wasn鈥檛 a factor in the assault, served 45 days of a two-year sentence. Wahlberg also announced the film 鈥淲omen Talking鈥� as 鈥淲omen Are Talking.鈥�
Best actor has been one of the hardest races to call. (鈥淓濒惫颈蝉鈥�), (鈥淭he Whale鈥�) and Colin Farrell ( ) have all been seen as possible winners. But it was Fraser who went home with the SAG Award for his comeback performance as an obese shut-in in 鈥淭he Whale.鈥�
鈥淏elieve me, if you just stay in there and put one foot in front of the other, you鈥檒l get where you need to go,鈥� said Fraser, who anxiously eyed the actor-shaped trophy and left the stage saying he was going to go look for some pants for him.
The SAG Awards are considered one of the most reliable Oscar bellwethers. Actors make up the biggest percentage of the film academy, so their choices have the largest sway. Last year, before winning s, while Ariana DeBose, Will Smith, Jessica Chastain and Troy Kotsur all won at a SAG Award before taking home an Academy Award.
After the SAG Awards, presented by the film and television acting guild SAG-AFRTA, lost their broadcast home at TNT/TBS, Netflix signed on to stream Sunday鈥檚 ceremony. Next year鈥檚 show will be on Netflix, proper.
Sunday鈥檚 livestream meant a slightly scaled-down vibe. Without a broadcast time limit, winners weren鈥檛 played off. A regal and unbothered Sam Elliott, winner for male actor in a TV movie or limited series for 鈥�1883,鈥� spoke well past his allotted time. The show sped through early winners, including awards for Jean Smart (鈥淗acks鈥�), Jeremy Allen White (鈥淭he Bear鈥�) and Jason Bateman (鈥淥zark鈥�).
Another streaming effect: No bleeping.
Quinta Brunson and Janelle James of 鈥淎bbott Elementary鈥� kicked off the ceremony with a few opening jokes, including one that suggested Viola Davis, a recent Grammy winner, is beyond EGOT status and has transcended into 鈥淪hEGOTallofthem.鈥�
Brunson later returned to the stage with the cast of 鈥淎bbott Elementary鈥� to accept the SAG award for best ensemble in a comedy series. Brunson, the sitcom鈥檚 creator and one of its producers, said of her castmates, 鈥淭hese people bring me back down to Earth.鈥�
鈥淭he White Lotus鈥� also took a victory lap, winning best ensemble in a drama series and another win for Jennifer Coolidge, coming off her wins at the Emmys and the Golden Globes. A teary-eyed Coolidge traced her love of acting to a first-grade trip to see a Charlie Chaplin film. She then thanked her date, a longtime friend, the actor Tim Bagley.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e a wonderful date tonight,鈥� said Coolidge. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 wait until we get home.鈥�
The ceremony鈥檚 first award went to a winner from last year: Jessica Chastain. A year after winning for her lead performance in the film 鈥淭he Eyes of Tammy Faye,鈥� Chastain won best female actor in a TV movie or limited series for Showtime鈥檚 country music power couple series 鈥淕eorge & Tammy.鈥� Chastain jetted in from previews on the upcoming Broadway revival of 鈥淎 Doll鈥檚 House.鈥�
One award was announced ahead of the show from the red carpet: 鈥淭op Gun: Maverick鈥� won for best stunt ensemble. Though some have cheered that blockbusters like 鈥淢averick鈥� and 鈥淎vatar: The Way of Water鈥� are Oscars, the indie smash 鈥淓verything Everywhere All at Once鈥� increasingly looks like the biggest blockbuster at this year鈥檚 Academy Awards.
鈥擩ake Coyle, The Associated Press
