Everyone made
impassioned speeches. Leo won, and got one step closer to his long overdue
Oscar. Idris Elba won two Actors. Priyanka Chopra toned down her fake accent.
The cast of DOWNTON did it again. And with Spotlight
winning the ensemble award, I got eight out of thirteen predictions correct.
Here’s a look at what else went down at the SAG Awards last night.
It was hardly
a night of surprises, with several repeat winners in the TV categories, and
Leonardo DiCaprio winning for The
Revenant. However, it was far from dull. I always enjoy the SAGs, with all
the camaraderie between the actors when they get together to celebrate each
other’s work every year. And the tradition of opening the evening with
anecdotes by a random selection of actors always sets the tone for a nice, fun
evening. I particularly enjoyed this year’s selection. Jeffrey Tambor, Kunal
Nayyar and Rami Malek were pretty cool.
It’s possible
that the absence of a host or an emcee lowers the chances of disappointment,
but it’s also true that with no host, the entire burden of entertaining us is
on the presentations. And I thought the writer did a decent job of putting
together those bits for the presenters. Not all of them were outstandingly
hilarious though. For instance, I didn’t see the point in Sarah Silverman slapping
on the fake mustache. But I found it really endearing the way Jason Bateman
revealed the winner by saying, “Get up here, dad,” calling out to Tambor, his
former on-screen dad from ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT. There was a lot of passion in
the presentations too. What started with Queen Latifah’s anecdote in the
beginning (“I’ve been told I’m not thin enough, I’m not white enough, I’m not
man enough. Damn it, I am enough!), was carried forward by those who were
presenting the films nominated for ensemble cast. And then the winners took it
forward using the stage as a platform to voice their support for various
causes. The cast of Spotlight spoke about the abuse in the Catholic Church.
Jeffrey Tambor dedicated his award to those transgender people who can’t afford
to transition to the genders they identify with. Lesley Nicol, speaking on
behalf of the cast of DOWNTON ABBEY spoke passionately about working on the
final season of the show, and thanked America for welcoming them with open
arms. Alicia Vikander’s speech made note of how an actor’s work is a product of
collaboration. But I thought Uzo Aduba’s speech, inspiring young aspiring
actors to continue to strive towards being able to be at a show like the SAGs,
was particularly good. My favorite speech was Leo's though, especially the part where he thanked his parents for letting him go for auditions after school as a thirteen-year-old-boy.
Among the
winners, I was happy to see DOWNTON ABBEY win again, but sad to see the cast of
MAD MEN not up there, or even Jon Hamm. Aside from Jeffrey Tambor for
TRANSPARENT, and the miniseries/TV movie categories, all other TV recipients
were last year’s winners. So that was not very exciting or new. Spotlight’s ensemble cast win doesn’t
make it any easier to guess which film will win the Oscar for best picture. But
I think one can safely say that Leonardo DiCaprio and Brie Larson will win this
year.
I thought it
was well put-together show, appropriately paced, and I particularly loved the audio-visual of actors playing actors. Even the lifetime
achievement presentation didn’t seem like the drag it sometimes is. I actually
liked Carol Burnett’s speech and how she spoke about comedy TV being a man’s
domain. It was also good to see a woman—Demi Moore—presenting the award for best
ensemble in a motion picture, since usually best-picture-equivalent awards are
generally presented by men. Now I would like to see maybe Meryl Streep
presenting the Oscar for best picture next month.
Here are all
the SAG Awards 2016 winners (the ** indicate my predictions):
Outstanding Performance
by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
DOWNTON ABBEY
GAME OF THRONES
HOMELAND
HOUSE OF
CARDS
MAD MEN**
Outstanding Performance
by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
THE BIG BANG
THEORY
KEY &
PEELE
MODERN FAMILY
ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK**
TRANSPARENT
VEEP
Outstanding Performance
by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
Peter Dinklage,
GAME OF THRONES
Jon Hamm, MAD
MEN**
Rami Malek,
MR. ROBOT
Bob Odenkirk,
BETTER CALL SAUL
Kevin Spacey, HOUSE OF CARDS
Outstanding Performance
by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Claire Danes,
HOMELAND
Viola Davis, HOW TO GET AWAY WITH
MURDER**
Julianna
Margulies, THE GOOD WIFE
Maggie Smith,
DOWNTON ABBEY
Robin Wright,
HOUSE OF CARDS
Outstanding Performance
by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Ty Burrell,
MODERN FAMILY
Louis C.K.,
LOUIE
William H.
Macy, SHAMELESS
Jim Parsons,
THE BIG BANG THEORY
Jeffrey Tambor, TRANSPARENT**
Outstanding Performance
by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Uzo Aduba, ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK**
Edie Falco,
NURSE JACKIE
Ellie Kemper,
UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT
Julia
Louis-Dreyfus, VEEP
Amy Poehler,
PARKS AND RECREATION
Outstanding Performance
by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Idris Elba, LUTHER
Ben Kingsley,
TUT
Ray Liotta,
TEXAS RISING
Bill Murray,
A VERY MURRAY CHRISTMAS
Mark Rylance,
WOLF HALL**
Outstanding Performance
by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Nicole
Kidman, GRACE OF MONACO**
Queen Latifah, BESSIE
Christina
Ricci, THE LIZZIE BORDEN CHRONICLES
Susan
Sarandon, THE SECRET LIFE OF MARILYN MONROE
Kristen Wiig,
THE SPOILS BEFORE DYING
Outstanding Performance
by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Beasts of No Nation
The Big Short
Spotlight**
Straight Outta Compton
Trumbo
Outstanding Performance
by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Bryan
Cranston, Trumbo
Johnny Depp, Black Mass
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant**
Michael
Fassbender, Steve Jobs
Eddie
Redmayne, The Danish Girl
Outstanding Performance
by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Cate
Blanchett, Carol
Brie Larson, Room**
Helen Mirren,
Woman in Gold
Saoirse
Ronan, Brooklyn
Sarah
Silverman, I Smile Back
Outstanding Performance
by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Christian
Bale, The Big Short
Idris Elba, Beasts of No Nation
Mark Rylance,
Bridge of Spies
Michael
Shannon, 99 Homes
Jacob
Tremblay, Room**
Outstanding Performance
by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Rooney Mara, Carol
Rachel
McAdams, Spotlight
Helen Mirren,
Trumbo
Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl**
Kate Winslet,
Steve Jobs
