Awards season is in full swing, and the Screen Actors Guild Awards, better known as the SAG Awards, were on Sunday, February 23, 2025. As a self-proclaimed award show enthusiast, I was on the edge of my seat the entire night and was so happy to see actors get the recognition they deserved. So, you may be asking what is so different about the SAG Awards as opposed to any other award show. I’m so glad you asked! Let’s talk about it….
With the anticipation of the Oscars on March 2nd, the SAG awards offered one last trial run for those anticipating an Academy Award win. Kristen Bell, who most recently starred in Nobody Wants This (A must watch, in my opinion, btw!) hosted the awards and had a different approach to her opening monologue, with a rendition of her Frozen hit, “Do You Want To Build A Snowman?”, called “Do You Want To Be An Actor?”. Bell mentioned some nominees in attendance, such as Demi Moore, Jodie Foster, Kieran Culkin, and Jeff Goldblum, along with throwback photos and footage. Throughout the song, she mocks the acting industry, noting the struggles of trying to become an actor and the emotional rollercoaster of rejection. Bell’s ability to seamlessly blend humor and emotion captivated the audience and marked a standout moment that will be remembered as one of the evening’s most unforgettable performances.
Additionally, the night brought along some monumental reunions. In 2020, Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt notably reunited on camera, and this year’s awards were no different. Bell reunited with Gossip Girl’s Leighton Meester for a bit. She also shared moments with her The Good Place co-stars Ted Danson and Willian Jackson Harper. Other fun reunions included The X-Files’ Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny, and, my personal favorite, New Girl’s Zooey Deschanel and Max Greenfield.
With the current political climate, it is no shock that the SAG awards called out current politics and the state of the world. Jane Fonda, the 87-year-old Grace and Frankie star, received flowers for her long-running career and made it known that she is not done. In her acceptance speech, she talked about her “weird” career path, which is attributed to retiring for several years before coming back at age 65, and called herself a “late bloomer.” While talking about the community of Hollywood and the importance of unions, she referenced the current administration, saying, “We are in our documentary moment. That is it. And it’s not a rehearsal.” Fonda discussed the term “woke,” saying it “just means you give a damn about other people,” and, she added, “a whole lot of people are going to be really hurt by what is happening, by what’s coming our way…We are going to need a big tent to successfully resist what’s coming at us.”
However, the most important part of the night included Timothee Chalamet winning Outstanding Male Actor in a Leading Role for his performance of Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. Chalamet made history by becoming the youngest male actor to win the prestigious award at age 29. Before him, the record was held by Nicolas Cage, who claimed the title at age 32 in 1995 for his role in Leaving Las Vegas. In his acceptance speech, Chalamet noted how important this role was to him by stating, “I know the classiest thing would be to downplay the effort that went into this role and how much this means to me, but the truth is this was five years of my life…I poured everything I had into playing this incomparable artist, Mr. Bob Dylan. It was an honor of a lifetime playing him.” At the end, he noted why he can’t just diminish the significance of the award and that he is indeed “in pursuit of greatness…(I) want to be one of the greats.” He called out Daniel Day-Lewis, Marlon Brando, and Viola Davis—which is especially important as Viola Davis is one of three black women, and one of eighteen total, to have won an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award) but always seems to be left out when “the greats” are mentioned.
In my opinion, with how strategic Chalamet is about choosing his roles, such as Willy Wonka in Wonka, Elio in Call Me By Your Name, Laurie in Little Women, Nic in Beautiful Boy, and so many more, I think Chalamet is already on his way to becoming one of the greatest of our time, and it is so exciting to watch his career unfold.
With the Academy Awards approaching, I am eager to see which actors are standouts in their field and who to look out for in future films. I will be anxiously awaiting March 2nd, but until then, I will be watching Timothee Chalamet’s entire film discography on repeat.