The 22nd annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, which took place on Saturday, January 30th, had so many awe inspiring moments that we’re still not over.
The Screen Actors Guild, or SAG for short, is SAG-AFTRA, which stands for the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. SAG, which formed in 1933, merged with AFTRA back in 2012. SAG-AFTRA is labor union of actors that represents thousands of performing artists in both film and television, for principal and background roles. It’s rewarding in a unique way because actors vote for fellow actors.
The big winners of the night for Male/Female Actor in a Leading Role were Leonardo DiCaprio for The Revenant and Brie Larson for Room respectively.
This year was special because Leonardo DiCaprio, who had an adorable reunion with his Titanic co-star Kate Winslet, won his first SAG award after being nominated in the category three times previously. “I am truly humbled by this, it comes from my fellow actors, thank you from the bottom of my heart,” DiCaprio said in his acceptance speech. DiCaprio has proved time and time again, that he is a phenomenal actor with the ability to portray drastically different characters.
Larson delivered a brilliant and emotional performance in Room, which you still have time to see before the Academy Awards on February 28th. It is the story of a girl who was abducted as a teenager and held captive in a shed for years. She ends up having a baby with her captor and the little boy, played by Jacob Tremblay who is the cutest thing ever and just as obsessed with Leonardo DiCaprio as you, saves her in so many ways.
Downtown Abbey and Orange Is The New Black both won big for Outstanding Cast in a Television Drama and Comedy respecitively. The best stunts naturally went to Game of Thrones for a television series and to Mad Max: Fury Road for a motion picture. Queen Latifah took home the prize for best actress in a TV movie or miniseries and used her acceptance speech to speak to those who feel that they don’t fit in.
“I hope that anyone out there who does not come in the package people say you should. Keep fighting for it. Flip those rocks over. Keep pushing, keep turning,” Latifah proclaimed. “You can do it. You build your own boxes, not people. So knock that thing away, and do you!”
Idris Elba and Alicia Vikander took home Oustanding Peformance by A Male/Female in a Supporting Role. Elba also won his second award of the night for his performance in Luther. Spotlight won for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. Male/Female Actor in a Drama Series went to Kevin Spacey for House of Cards and Viola Davis for How to Get Away With Murder. Jeffrey Tambor of Transparent and Uzo Aduba from OITNB closed out the awards with their wins for Male/Female Actor in a Comedy Series.
Aduba, who won this award for the second time, used her acceptance speech to inspire fellow actors. “I would like to just take an opportunity to acknowledge the actors who are at home, not here in this room with us, but hoping to, one day, be in this room with us to continue to keep trying,” Aduba said. “To keep plugging, to keep working. No matter if anybody tells you to get out of that line that you’re waiting in, stay in line. You have the chance, it is yours.”
There was certainly a lot to celebrate and an extraordinary amount of talent in the room. We can’t wait to see what these talented actors are going to put forth this year!