KUALA LUMPUR – Christopher Nolan’s historical drama Oppenheimer bags three of the four awards at the 30th Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG-AFTRA) today, leaving rival blockbuster Barbie in the cold.
Cilian Murphy, who plays the titular J. Robert Oppenheimer won best actor, while Robert Downey Jr, who plays nuanced antagonist Lewis Strauss, took home the best supporting actor trophy.
The movie also won the biggest award of the night – outstanding performance by a cast in a film.
However, Emily Blunt, who plays Oppenheimer’s wife Katherine, missed out on the best supporting actress award – losing to Da’Vine Joy Randolph for The Holdovers.
The lead actress award went to Lily Gladstone, who plays a wealthy Native American woman whose husband (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) is plotting against her in “Killers of the Flower Moon”.
While this year’s show became the first prize-giving gala to stream globally on Netflix, it is traditionally seen as an important Academy Award indicator.
Oppenheimer, which has already won top honours at the Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards, Directors Guild of America Awards, and Britain’s Baftas, now looks increasingly likely to dominate at the Oscars, including winning best picture.
In recent years, bagging the top honours at the SAG Awards led to best picture Oscar wins for Parasite, CODA and Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Many of the same guild members who vote for the SAG Awards also make up the largest voting bloc for the Oscars, which will be held on March 10.
Meanwhile, Barbra Streisand accepted a lifetime achievement award and possibly alluded to the current conflict in the Middle East.
In her speech, she paid tribute to studio bosses Samuel Goldwyn and Louis B. Mayer – who both fled anti-Semitism in Eastern Europe, saying, “I dream of a world where such prejudice is a thing of the past”.
The show also witnessed two cast reunions on stage – The Devil Wears Prada and Breaking Bad – much to the delight of fans and guests alike.
Leads for the iconic The Devil Wears Prada – Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, and Blunt – got their moment on stage 18 years after the movie’s release, when they presented the best actor in a comedy series award to Jeremy Allen White for The Bear.
Streep took to the stage first, appearing to stumble over the microphone and claiming to forget the results envelope and her glasses. Hathaway and Blunt went up on stage to “rescue her”.
As payback, it was Hathaway and Blunt who pulled out Streep’s best lines as Miranda Priestly
“No no, that wasn‘t a question” for Hathaway, and “By all means, move at a glacial pace, you know how that thrills me” for Blunt.
On the other hand, Breaking Bad stars Bryan Cranston, Bob Odenkirk, RJ Mitte, Anna Gunn, Aaron Paul, Jonathan Banks, Betsy Brandt and Dean Norris had a F-bomb laden skit before presenting the award for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series.
Banks wrapped up the skit, joking that the show “can’t fire us, so f— ‘em”.
The 2024 SAG Awards in Los Angeles hosted by Idris Elba also hold a special meaning for the 120,000 guild members after last year’s strike to fight for better deals from the studios, such as Disney and Netflix.
The night also honours television. Although the final season of Succession dominated the nominations, it only took home the top prize – best ensemble in a drama series.
The Bear, starring White and Ayo Edebiri, took home the best ensemble in a comedy series award. – February 25, 2024
Full list of winners:
Film
Outstanding Cast – Oppenheimer
Actor in a Lead Role – Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
Actress in a Lead Role – Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon
Actor in a Supporting Role – Robert Downey Jr, Oppenheimer
Actress in a Supporting Role – Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers
Stunt Ensemble in a Movie – Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One
Television
Ensemble in a Drama Series – Succession
Ensemble in a Comedy Series – The Bear
Actor in a Drama Series – Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us
Actress in a Drama Series – Elizabeth Debicki, The Crown
Actor in a Comedy Series – Jeremy Allen White, The Bear
Actress in a Comedy Series – Ayo Edebiri, The Bear
Actor in a TV Movie or Limited Series – Steven Yeun, Beef
Actress in a TV Movie or Limited Series – Ali Wong, Beef
Stunt Ensemble in a TV Series – The Last of Us