Saturday night in Los Angeles was much more than an actor's evening. The most important artists of the moment celebrated the awards from their union SAG-AFTRA. An acronym that became extremely popular not only in the Californian city but around the world in the summer of 2023. Between July and November, 160,000 interpreters, some of the most famous in the world, went on strike for no less than 118 days, appearing in the background of a scene in an episode, first together with the scriptwriters and then themselves. And they did it: after months of struggle , strikes and job losses, they reached a million-dollar pact that improved their salaries and restricted artificial intelligence. And on Saturday evening, alongside the presentation of their annual awards, also in their 30th year, they celebrated this agreement and showed that unity is strength. And in a big way, because their awards were broadcast on Netflix, which was ready to broadcast such content for the first time. Therefore there were no announcements or many stops. In two hours and 10 minutes, the predictable awards were handed out for Oppenheimer, Succession, The Bear and Bronca, as well as the lifetime achievement award for Barbra Streisand. And, surprisingly, best actor for a very emotional Pedro Pascal.
The shock of the Chilean, who won best actor for his role as Joel in “The Last of Us”, was not only his own, because he left the protagonists of “Succession”, who had won the award all season, collected and returned to their place prizes. In the end, the series about New York tycoons won one of the big awards of the night and one that few galas other than Critics' Choice bestow: the best cast award to all actors. Succession won for drama series, The Bear for comedy series and Oppenheimer for film; Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. also won for best leading and supporting actors for the same footage. The award for best supporting actress, which Penélope Cruz also chose for Ferrari, went to Da'Vine Joy for “Los que se quenta”. As with the Oscars, the big doubt was about the best actress, as there is no division into drama and comedy. Finally, Lily Gladstone (The Moon Killers) won against Emma Stone (The Poor Creatures), which could give her a boost or be a hint as to what will happen to the season's jackpot…or maybe not. This will be clarified on March 10th.
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Ayo Edebiri and Jeremy Allen White with their awards for Best Actress and Best Actor in a Comedy Series for The Bear and also for Best Cast in a Comedy Series at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. MIKE BLAKE (Portal)
The pattern remained stable in the series: in the comedy, the protagonists of “The Bear”, Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri, won, and in the limited series those of Bronca, Ali Wong and Steven Yeun. Surprises came in the drama. Elizabeth Debicki, who plays the sad Princess Diana in the final two seasons of The Crown, defeated the devious Sarah Snook, Shiv in Succession. And Pedro Pascal beat both The Morning Show's Billy Crudup and Succession's Kieran Culkin, Brian Cox and Matthew Macfadyen. “This is a mistake for many reasons! I'm drunk, I thought I could get drunk! Thank you very much for that!” he shouted on stage. “I have been in the union since 1999 and this is a great honor,” he explained and congratulated the rest of his colleagues: “The nominees, I don't remember your name right now …,” he said, laughing with him. The Shrine Auditorium. “I'm going to have a panic attack, I'm going to leave,” said Pascal, who later joked backstage that it was “revenge on Kieran.” [Culkin]“, which took away almost everything during awards season. As he walked through the press room (although journalists asked questions from home and via Zoom), he stated that his surprise was authentic and that he felt happier and calmer after drinking tequila, “so as not to freeze.”
Cillian Murphy won Best Actor in a Motion Picture for “Oppenheimer” and also Best Cast in a Motion Picture at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. MIKE BLAKE (Portal)
Idris Elba was in charge of the awards ceremony, although with little participation other than the opening, closing and some contributions. A surprising skill that was greatly appreciated by the audience, who were also able to rewind at the end of the awards ceremony to see the last hour of the red carpet and the entire gala. Elba was friendly without being sarcastic. He asked no one “not to say anything you’re not allowed to say in front of Oprah.” [Winfrey]”, to the laughter of the presenter, actress and producer, and the most serious thing she said was: “We are all winners because we are very lucky to be part of this incredible industry.” “The best thing you can do “Is to watch it again and see how funny I am again,” he joked at the end.
The gala was sober, calm and effective. The actors who died in those 12 months were remembered, from Matthew Perry and Tina Turner to Michael Gambon, Suzanne Somers, Harry Belafonte, Treat Williams, Chita Rivera, Ryan O'Neal and Alan Arkin, but always without him unpleasant applause from the audience. The pairings of presenters also worked well: Elijah Wood and Sean Austin, 20 years after the triumph of The Lord of the Rings, where they were Frodo and Sam; Greta Lee (The Morning Show, Past Lives) and Troy Kotsur (Koda), who conversed lovingly in sign language; or Melissa McCarthy, nervous next to Billie Eilish, who asked her for an autograph on her forehead so as not to ruin her dress, as the singer did, bursting with laughter. And above all, the first trio of the evening triumphed: Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt and Anne Hathaway, in a moment reminiscent of The Devil Wears Prada, in which they jokingly declared that Streep was the equal of her evil character Miranda Priestly.
Barbra Streisand, 81, starred in the evening's tribute, with the award for her entire career presented by her friends Jennifer Aniston and Bradley Cooper, and on the same stage where she gave her first major concert in 1963 “She's got the “Didn’t pave the road, she tore it down for us,” Aniston said of the pioneer. Streisand herself remembered her beginnings, sitting on her bed in Brooklyn, eating ice cream and reading movie magazines, and Marlon Brando (“My First Love”), which she saw in the cinema for 25 cents: “There was pleasure in it, I wasn't interested in reality, just movies. And I wasn’t like the girls on the screen, that’s what my mother told me, but somehow that came true.”
Actress and SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher at the 30th Actors Union Awards. MIKE BLAKE (Portal)
But the strike and union struggle, which lasted almost four months, became the backbone that shaped the entire ceremony. Before he started, Michael Cera said he received his SAG membership card at the age of 13, which led others to treat him as an equal, “even though he was the closest to the money he had earned.” couldn't touch it that day. ©every”. . Colman Domingo (Rustin, The Color Purple) and Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso) shared their experiences as actors and then paved the way for Idris Elba. The winners were also remembered about the struggle and what they endured by Kenneth Brannagh, who spoke for the entire Oppenheimer cast and recounted how they left the red carpet and the film, directed by Cillian Murphy, on the day of its premiere didn't see. when the strike was called: “Thank you to the members of SAG-AFTRA who sacrificed and made it possible for us to be here.”
Of course, the union's leader, actress Fran Drescher, addressed its members and thanked “the hardest working man in the industry, our chief negotiator, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland.” Also to Netflix, which has gone from public enemy number one to partner: “Thank you for broadcasting this everywhere, including in my parents’ apartment in Florida.” He said to his colleagues: “You are our champions.” You have it survived the toughest battle. Their collective dignity rose to demand more, and it became a billion-dollar pact. You understand what your contribution means to this industry. They have set the path for many generations to come: we will not be pawns, but companions.” And as she said more than once during the union struggle, she urged her colleagues not to get carried away: “We must not be the male Energy, but must lead with intellect, compassion, wisdom and a little red lipstick. “It is an honor to be your President as we enter our golden age.” And he blew kisses all over the stage, as he left and gave more and more kisses. She herself knew that the show had to go on.
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