The 30th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards occurred at the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall in Los Angeles on February 24, 2024. This year’s ceremony marked its live debut on Netflix, after its previous deal with TBS/TNT expired in May 2022. The star-studded night was certainly one to remember, filled with witty moments and adorable hiccups, like when Melissa McCarthy took full advantage of presenting an award with Billie Eilish, asking the singer to sign her face. Below are all the memorable wins and speeches!
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Streaming Options
The Screen Actors Guild Awards made history by streaming on Netflix for the first time, at 8 p.m. Eastern time. Netflix acquired telecast rights to the SAG Awards in early 2023. Last year, before Netflix could ready its platform for the event, the SAG Awards streamed live on Netflix’s YouTube channel.
This decision to switch platforms came from the nosedive in viewership rates in the past two decades of the awards airing on TNT and TBS. Since it wasn’t aired on traditional broadcast television, that meant that none of the actors who swore on stage was bleeped out
The Strikes
From July 14 to November 9, 2023, the American actors’ union SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) was on strike over a labour dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). As the longest strike in SAG-AFTRA history, its combined impact with the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike resulted in the loss of 45,000 jobs, and “an estimated $6.5 billion” loss to the economy of Southern California. It was part of a series of broader Hollywood labour disputes and had brought the industry to a standstill. The entire ceremony was filled with mentions of the strikes in speeches as well.
Heartwarming Wins And Tear-Jerking Speeches At The Screen Actors Guild Awards
Oppenheimer continued its dominance of awards season as it scored several major prizes. Christopher Nolan’s film won Best Film Cast, an extremely prestigious award and a top honour at the SAG Awards voted for by other actors, while Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr won individual acting prizes.
Accepting the top prize on behalf of the cast, Sir Kenneth Branagh said they were all “grateful, humbled and proud”. Paying tribute to the US actors’ union, Sir Kenneth said: “Thank you for fighting for us, thank you for every Sag-Aftra member whose support and whose sacrifice allows us to be standing here better than we were before.”
“We went from the red carpet, we didn’t see the film that night, we happily went in the direction of solidarity with your good selves, so this is a full circle moment for us,” he told the audience of actors. “We are grateful and humbled and proud not just to be in Mr Nolan’s masterpiece, but proud to be in your company.”
Irish actor Cillian Murphy said his win was “extremely, extremely special to me because it comes from you guys”. He emotionally spoke about his journey: “Twenty-eight years ago when I was trying to become an actor, I was a failed musician, and I felt extremely like an interloper, but looking out on all of you guys here today, I know I’m part of something truly wonderful, so thank you so much.”
Oppenheimer’s Robert Downey Jr, who has similarly been dominating his category, was named best supporting actor. He wittily remarked: “Why me, why now, why do things seem to be going my way?”
Pedro Pascal was pretty emotional when he hit the stage to accept his award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Drama Series — for his work in “The Last of Us” — but he admitted that was partially because he was inebriated when he won.
“This is wrong for a number of reasons. I’m a little drunk, I thought I could get drunk,” said a wide-eyed Pascal at the Shrine Auditorium on Saturday. “I’m making a fool of myself, but thank you so much for this!”
Idris Elba
The Thor: Ragnarok actor Idris Elba hosted the night, cracking many witty jokes in the opening ceremony. He mentioned the switch in streaming platforms, jokingly saying,”Personally, I can’t wait to get home, and have Netflix recommend this show to me.”
Turning to a more serious note, he also acknowledged what a “difficult time” it had been for actors during the recent strike, adding: “I want to take a moment to honour and appreciate all of you, both here and watching at home, who stood up in solidarity and support.”
Barbra Streisand
The legendary veteran singer and actress Barbra Streisand received this year’s Lifetime Achievement Prize. As she accepted her award from Jennifer Aniston and Bradley Cooper, Streisand joked it was “such a wonderful award to get, because you know in advance you’re going to get it”.
Recalling her childhood, she said: “I didn’t like reality, I wanted to be in movies. Even though I knew I didn’t look like the other women on screen. My mother said ‘You’d better learn to type’. But I didn’t listen. And somehow, some way, it all came true. It’s a privilege to be part of this profession. For a couple of hours, people can sit in the theatre and escape their own troubles – what an idea.”
She paid tribute to her fellow actors and directors, concluding: “I’ve loved inhabiting that magical world of the movies with you.” Reflecting on her journey to where she is now, recalled falling in love with Marlon Brando on-screen, why she desperately wanted to start making movies, and more.
Emily Blunt, Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway
The iconic trio from the cult classic The Devil Wears Prada, Emily Blunt, Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway, had an onstage reunion as they presented the first award of the night. They performed a short fun skit, where the veteran actress seemed to have stumbled upon the stage without her glasses, or the envelope containing the winner, as she explained to the star-studded audience.
At that very moment, her on-screen assistants in the 2006 film came to life with the envelope and glasses, before the trio delivered a joyous sketch featuring several of the movie’s most famous lines.
When Blunt joked that Streep and Priestly were basically the same person, Streep protested, only for Hathaway to cut in, saying, “No, no. That wasn’t a question.” Then, as Streep pretended to struggle with the envelope, Blunt snidely said “By all means, move at a glacial pace. You know how that thrills me.”
Screen Actors Guild Awards: The Full List Of Nominees And Wins
Film categories
Best actor
WINNER: Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer
Bradley Cooper – Maestro
Colman Domingo – Rustin
Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers
Jeffrey Wright – American Fiction
Best Actress
WINNER: Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon
Annette Bening – Nyad
Carey Mulligan – Maestro
Margot Robbie – Barbie
Emma Stone – Poor Things
Best supporting actor
WINNER: Robert Downey Jr. – Oppenheimer
Sterling K. Brown – American Fiction
Willem Dafoe – Poor Things
Robert De Niro – Killers of the Flower Moon
Ryan Gosling – Barbie
Best supporting actress
WINNER: Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers
Emily Blunt – Oppenheimer
Danielle Brooks – The Color Purple
Penélope Cruz – Ferrari
Jodie Foster – Nyad
Outstanding performance by a cast
WINNER: Oppenheimer
American Fiction
Barbie
The Color Purple
Killers of the Flower Moon
Best stunt ensemble in a film
WINNER: Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Barbie
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
John Wick: Chapter 4
Television categories
Best actor in a TV movie or limited series
WINNER: Steven Yeun – Beef
Matt Bomer – Fellow Travelers
Jon Hamm – Fargo
David Oyelowo – Lawmen: Bass Reeves
Tony Shalhoub – Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie
Best actress in a TV movie or limited series
WINNER: Ali Wong – Beef
Uzo Aduba – Painkiller
Kathryn Hahn – Tiny Beautiful Things
Brie Larson – Lessons in Chemistry
Bel Powley – A Small Light
Best actor in a drama series
WINNER: Pedro Pascal – The Last of Us
Brian Cox – Succession
Billy Crudup – The Morning Show
Kieran Culkin – Succession
Matthew Macfadyen – Succession
Best actress in a drama series
WINNER: Elizabeth Debicki – The Crown
Jennifer Aniston – The Morning Show
Bella Ramsey – The Last of Us
Keri Russell – The Diplomat
Sarah Snook – Succession
Best actor in a comedy series
WINNER: Jeremy Allen White – The Bear
Brett Goldstein – Ted Lasso
Bill Hader – Barry
Ebon Moss-Bachrach – The Bear
Jason Sudeikis – Ted Lasso
Best actress in a comedy series
WINNER: Ayo Edebiri – The Bear
Alex Borstein – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Rachel Brosnahan – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Quinta Brunson – Abbott Elementary
Hannah Waddingham – Ted Lasso
Best ensemble cast in a drama series
WINNER: Succession
The Crown
The Gilded Age
The Last of Us
The Morning Show
Best ensemble cast in a comedy series
WINNER: The Bear
Abbott Elementary
Barry
Only Murders in the Building
Ted Lasso
Best stunt ensemble in a TV series
WINNER: The Last of Us
Ahsoka
Barry
Beef
The Mandalorian
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