Article by Ava Lystad
The 29th Screen Actors Guild Awards was held on Feb. 26, with The White Lotus and Everything Everywhere All at Once receiving the most awards. The night was filled with star-studded presenters, top-tier fashion and more. Many consider these awards to be predictors for who will win at the Oscars, as these awards are voted on by actors in the SAG community, so let’s take a look at the winners and some of my favorite memorable moments.
Starting off with motion pictures, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s Everything Everywhere All at Once took home the award for Outstanding Cast, beating out Steven Speilberg’s The Fabelmans and Damien Chazelle’s Babylon. The film also took home three of the four acting awards, won by Ke Huy Quan, Michelle Yeoh and Jamie Lee Curtis. Quan’s speech included a nod to his time in the industry.
“To all those at home who are watching, who are struggling and waiting to be seen, please keep on going because the spotlight will one day find you,” Quan said.
Yeoh and Quan also won Golden Globes, making them front-runners for the Oscars. After seeing both of their speeches throughout awards season, I can’t help but root for them.
Unfortunately for the Austin Butler fans, he did not win Best Actor for his role in Elvis. Instead, The Whale star Brendan Fraser was awarded for his strong and emotional performance in the film. I’ve only seen clips from The Whale, but I agree that the intense emotion performed by Fraser is deserving of an award. Many critics and film buffs predict a battle between the two actors at the Oscars. It’s hard to beat Butler’s method-acting skills, but Fraser’s performance is giving him a run for its money.
After the Emmys and Golden Globes, the winners at the SAGs this year overall were not much of a shock. Jennifer Coolidge once again won an award for her role as Tanya in The White Lotus, and Abbott Elementary took home the Ensemble in a Comedy Series award. Seeing Jessica Chastain win for her role in George and Tammy was a lovely sight on my iPad, and it was great to see an up-and-coming celebrity like Jeremy Allen White of The Bear take home an award as well.
Let’s move onto some of the celebrities that walked the red carpet and presented at the show. As a White Lotus stan, seeing Haley Lu Richardson in that gorgeous black dress with pearl detailing made my night. I also was a big fan of the Jenna Ortega and Aubrey Plaza moment, a duo I didn’t know I needed. I also forgot about how much I saw Zendaya on my screen, and of course, she did not disappoint in the gorgeous pink gown on the red carpet.
Award season always brings me a sense of comfort in these winter months. Let me know your thoughts and feelings on this year’s SAGs and reflections on the Oscars! Award season is better together.