On Feb. 23, the 31st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards aired on Netflix. Live from the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall in Los Angeles, the two-hour-long award show had a historic night of wins, speeches, and presenters. Founded in 1995, the Screen Actors Guild Awards aims to honor those in the guild with an award show whose winners are voted entirely by the TV and film stars in the Screen Actors Guild, unlike most award shows.
For many years, the awards show did not have a designated host until Kristen Bell became the first in 2018. This year, she reprised her role as host, being only the fourth (and first) host in the show’s 31-year history. The show opened with a segment of Jean Smart portraying her character from Hacks, stand-up comedian Deborah Vance. The bit joked of having Deborah Vance under the impression that she would be hosting the show until Kayla, her manager’s assistant, revealed she had not paid her SAG dues in years, making her unable to host. She was then handed the activator used in The Substance and said she’d be back in a week. Afterwards, the show went on to do its regular “I am an actor” segment where that year’s biggest stars told a story of their time as an actor, all ranging in tones and tales.
The real show started as Bell entered the stage, introducing herself, the show, and the LAFD firefighters invited to the awards to honor their efforts combatting the recent Los Angeles fires. She then performed a spectacular twist on her Frozen character Anna’s song “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” This time, the song was titled “Do You Want to be an Actor?” The song was accompanied by clips of early roles by nominated and non-nominated audience members like Jamie Lee Curtis, Kieran Culkin, Timothée Chalamet, Selena Gomez, and many others. It proved to be a nostalgic night for all involved.
SAG Wins
The beautiful Pamela Anderson presented the first award of the night to Kieran Culkin for Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for his role in A Real Pain alongside Jesse Eisenberg. In his speech, he said so much, yet so little, counting down with the timer as his time slipped away.
Another big win that night went to Demi Moore for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for her performance in The Substance. Her speech hit hard with many audience members, as she encouraged young actors not to forget about the human connection that comes from acting in front of directors and casting directors. Moore was visibly shaking, but she still delivered a flawless speech that came from the bottom of her heart.
Another win went to Smart for Best Female Actor in a Comedy Series for her role as Deborah Vance in the comedy series Hacks. Another series to win an award was Only Murders in the Building for Best Comedy Ensemble, beating both Hacks and The Bear. Since Martin Short and Steve Martin were not in attendance, Gomez accepted the award for both of them.
The FX series Shogun earned four awards: Best Drama Ensemble for Television, Best Female Actor in a Drama Series, Best Male Actor in a Drama Series, and Best Stunt Ensemble for Television. These wins came after just one season of the 2024 drama series.
Chalamet also took home the Best Male Actor in a Leading Role award for his portrayal as Bob Dylan in a biopic about his life titled A Complete Unknown. Chalamet used his speech not just to thank his cast and crew or to be humble about his work but also to honor the work he put in for five years to prepare for the role. He said he aims to be one of the greats and that the award motivated him to continue on that path to greatness.
Overall, the 31st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards was a success, with dozens of this year’s biggest stars honored for their work and efforts that earned them their nominations. Television and movie stars came together to share the spotlight and recognize one another as hardworking screen actors. The night comes just one week before the 97th Annual Oscars, which will close out the bulk of the award season until the Tony Awards in early June.