Despite all the horror going on in the world, I’m getting some personal joy with the SAG Awards kicking off awards season. Truly, my heart is full.
All in all, I wasn’t too surprised by many of the winners last night, but perhaps some of the main film acting categories will shed some light on who takes home the Oscar in three weeks’ time? Might just have to wait to find out. Regardless, it was nice to see celebrities back together in one big room celebrating amazing performances, and it was even nicer knowing they did it as safe as possible. What I also like about SAG is that they don’t waste time with a bunch of goofy filler (Oscars…take note). I do always love the opening segment when they kick it to a few actors who tell oddball stories and then reconfirm that they’re actors. Intelligently, they chose the trio of Leslie Odom Jr, Lin Manuel Miranda, and Daveed Diggs to comedically open and close the show, but otherwise it was short bursts of presenters for the evening.
Speaking of presenters, the theme of the night was evidently “Together Again” which makes the Hamilton stars’ reunion more relevant. Other fun reunions on stage came in the form of Scenes from a Marriage co-stars Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain, Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion got Lisa Kudrow and Mira Sorvino on stage together, and Scandal‘s Kerri Washington and Tony Goldwyn got to present, too! It was good fun and it seemed like everyone else was enjoying it, too. Even some of the casts that couldn’t be there in person due to filming and strict safety protocols seemed to be having a blast remotely. Team Ted Lasso were dressed to the nines and celebrating appropriately.
Some historic wins came from the night including CODA‘s Troy Kutsor winning for Best Supporting Actor in the film race. Squid Game also took home both actor wins for Lee Jung-jae and Jung Ho-Yeon in the Drama Series category. CODA also took home the top prize of the evening which is a huge win for the deaf community and also gives the film some edge for the Oscars now. I was tickled to see it win myself. Jessica Chastain winning for Best Actress came as more of a surprise to her than it did to me, but honestly out of the lot, Olivia Colman was her only real competition. I found the Best Actor category much more tough to call, but I was happy to see Will Smith take it home for King Richard. Venus Williams was there, too!
Some not so surprise wins came in the form of Jason Sudeikis and Ted Lasso winning for comedy series categories, and I was pumped to see Jean Smarrt continue her winning streak for Hacks. Even though Squid Game took home the acting categories, there’s no stopping Succession from taking home the Drama Series trophy. Similarly, Kate Winslet winning in the Limited Series category for Mare of Easttown seemed like a no-brainer. Michael Keaton’s role in Dopesick also seemed like a sure thing, but his acceptance speech is one to be remembered. What a guy. And while his speech was moving, Brian Cox also gave an equally rousing speech relating to the conflicts the Ukraine is facing from Russia right now. The support from the all the actors in the audience was palpable.
Overall, it was a great evening, and it makes me happy that the Rona is receding a little bit at the moment so we can enjoy some good pop culture moments. I look forward to all the other awards shows that are slated in the coming weeks, and you can look forward to me recapping them for you!