'Spotlight' & 'Downton Abbey' won top honors at 22nd SAG Awards
The 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards were held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles tonight with the motion picture "Spotlight" and the TV drama "Downton Abbey" taking home top honors. The SGA Awards were broadcast on television live Saturday, January 30, 2016, on the TV networks TNT and TBS. Each year they honor the best performances in motion pictures and television for the prior calendar year. The SAG Awards are one of the largest Award shows during movie award season and along with the previously held Golden Globe Awards give a glimmer to what actors may also win Oscars at the end of February.
If there was one word that would best some up tonight's SAG Awards, it would be diversity. Four actors of color won honors, with one of those four earning two SAG Awards The SAG Awards tonight, mark a glaring difference between their award show, voted by members of the SAG/Aftra union members, and the Academy Awards.
"Spotlight," a film that tells the journey of the journalists from the Boston Globe's during the investigation of the Catholic Church's decades long cover-up of priests molestation of children, took home the Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture - honoring eight actors.
"Spotlight," seem to be a surprise win, even to the winning actors on stage. But the film is an excellent example of ensemble acting.
In the Outstanding Lead categories, it was no surprise that Leonardo DiCaprio and Brie Larson triumphed. Both actors won Golden Globes in the drama category and look as they will also take home Oscars next month.
Leonardo DiCaprio, who has been on the hunt for an Oscar for over twenty years, is unbeatable in his performance in Alejandro González Iñárritu's newest masterpiece "The Revenant." It's a visual masterpiece that tells the most incredible story of revenge and redemption.
Brie Larson, who has been the darling of independent film is newer to the business than that of DiCaprio. But her haunting and moving performance in "Room," proves an equally deft performance in a film that is strikingly different than "The Revenant."
Actors honored with Outstanding Supporting Performance in film were Idris Elba for "Beasts of No Nation," and Alicia Vikander for "The Danish Girl." Vikander also looks poised to win an Oscar next month, but Elba was not nominated by the Academy.
In the television categories, "Downton Abbey," won its third consecutive SAG Award, which honored an ensemble of 20 actors. "Orange is the New Black," took home top honors for ensemble in a comedy, making this their second ensemble SAG honor.
Viola Davis won her third SAG Award tonight for her performance in the ABC drama "How to Get Away with Murder," and Kevin Space also took home his third SAG Award, winning for the Netflix drama "House of Cards."
Idris Elba took home his second SAG Award of the night for Outstanding Performance in a Television Movie or Miniseries for the BBC America show "Luther," and the well spoken Queen Latifah took home the honors on the female side for her performance in the HBO movie
"Bessie," the biopic of blues singer Bessie Smith.
On the more comic side, Uzo Aduba was honored with her second SAG Award in this category for her role on the hit Netflix show "Orange is the New Black," and Jeffrey Tambor continues to sweep the male, comedy awards, winning his first SAG honors for the Amazon original series "Transparent."
The best part of the night belong to Carol Burnett. This talented actress and comedian was presented with a Life Achievement Award by none other than the duo of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Burnett reminisced about saving her pennies as a child to go to the movies with her grandmother. After seeing hours of movies, she would act the scenes out with a girlfriend and then they would climb up onto the Hollywood sign.
When she finally made a name for herself, she told of how NBC did not want to give her a variety show to host - that, she was told, "Was a man's game." As she paused after her thanks of gratitude she said, "I'm so glad we had this time together," as tugged on her ear with a tear in her eye.
This moment made all of those that grew-up watching her television series and movies glad that she was being honored for her tenacity that became a trailblazing moment for other women that would come after her in the world of comedy.
Here is a full list of all of the winners:
THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
LEONARDO DiCAPRIO / Hugh Glass – “THE REVENANT” (20th Century Fox)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
BRIE LARSON / Ma – “ROOM” (A24)
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
IDRIS ELBA / Commandant – “BEASTS OF NO NATION” (Netflix)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
ALICIA VIKANDER / Gerda Wegener – “THE DANISH GIRL” (Focus Features)
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
"SPOTLIGHT" (Open Road Films) BILLY CRUDUP / Eric MacLeish BRIAN D'ARCY JAMES / Matty Carroll MICHAEL KEATON / Walter "Robby" Robinson RACHEL McADAMS / Sacha Pfeiffer MARK RUFFALO / Michael Rezendes LIEV SCHREIBER / Marty Baron JOHN SLATTERY / Ben Bradlee, Jr. STANLEY TUCCI / Mitchell Garabedian
TELEVISION PROGRAMS
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
IDRIS ELBA / DCI John Luther – “LUTHER” (BBC America)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
QUEEN LATIFAH / Bessie Smith – “BESSIE” (HBO)
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
KEVIN SPACEY / Francis Underwood – “HOUSE OF CARDS” (Netflix)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
VIOLA DAVIS / Annalise Keating – “HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER” (ABC)
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
JEFFREY TAMBOR / Maura Pfefferman – “TRANSPARENT” (Amazon)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
UZO ADUBA / Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren – “ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK” (Netflix)
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
"DOWNTON ABBEY" (Masterpiece/PBS) HUGH BONNEVILLE / Robert, Earl of Grantham LAURA CARMICHAEL / Lady Edith Crawley JIM CARTER / Mr. Carson RAQUEL CASSIDY / Baxter BRENDAN COYLE / Mr. Bates TOM CULLEN / Anthony Gillingham MICHELLE DOCKERY / Lady Mary Crawley KEVIN DOYLE / Mr. Molesley JOANNE FROGGATT / Anna Bates LILY JAMES / Lady Rose ROBERT JAMES-COLLIER / Thomas Barrow ALLEN LEECH / Tom Branson PHYLLIS LOGAN / Mrs. Hughes ELIZABETH McGOVERN / Cora, Countess of Grantham SOPHIE McSHERA / Daisy LESLEY NICOL / Mrs. Patmore JULIAN OVENDEN / Charles Blake DAVID ROBB / Dr. Clarkson MAGGIE SMITH / Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham PENELOPE WILTON / Isobel Crawley
SAG AWARDS HONORS FOR STUNT ENSEMBLES
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
“MAD MAX: FURY ROAD” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series
“GAME OF THRONES” (HBO)
LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
52nd Annual SAG Life Achievement Award
CAROL BURNETT