At the Screen Actors Guild Awards, performances take precedence over the usual awards season politics. This year’s 20th annual broadcast was no exception, with actors from both the film and television industries joining forces to celebrate the best performances of the year.
What makes the SAG Awards stand out is that the statuettes are voted on by actors and also given to actors. Fellow SAG members vote for their picks on the year’s top portrayals, which in turn makes a win that much more personal.
The cast of “American Hustle” took top honors with Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. The David O. Russell film is proving to be tough competition this season — the director isn’t sure if his film or “12 Years a Slave” will end up the overall victor come Oscar time.
Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto continued their winning streaks by taking home statuettes for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role and Supporting Role, respectively. Cate Blanchett also continued her sweep of awards this season for her leading role in “Blue Jasmine,” while Lupita Nyong’o took home Female Actor in a Supporting Role for “12 Years A Slave,” beating out the likes of Julia Roberts and Jennifer Lawrence. Nyong’o even gave a shout out to her alma mater, Yale School of Drama, for her training — props, theater kids.
Following their Golden Globe wins, Bryan Cranston and the cast of “Breaking Bad” won both Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series and Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.
The television comedy categories showcased the stars’ stand-up skills. Julia Louis-Dreyfus got into character for her win for “Veep,” while one of her co-stars handed over note cards with the wrong acceptance speech.
Ty Burrell of “Modern Family” offered up five tips for actors during his acceptance speech, including “have no skill set other than being a needy extrovert.”
Throughout the night, videos of past reactions and funny moments aired in between the presentations. Unlike some other awards shows, these seemed more heartfelt and focused on the actors themselves. It only added to the general warmth and acceptance of the night.
Stage and screen great Rita Moreno (aka Anita in “West Side Story”) took home the Lifetime Achievement Award after running a victory lap around the stage and partaking in an “Electric Company”-esque bit with Morgan Freeman. She even sang a few bars of “This Is All I Ask,” further proving her versatility.
Throw in some Emma Thompson pre-speech dancing (and subsequent request for a CD version of the cheesy intro music), and you’ve got another awards show notched off the belt, people.
Tune in to the next one, the Grammys, this Sunday on CBS.
[A version of this story ran on page 10 on 1/23/2014 under the headline "Trophy Hunting: SAG members celebrate peers’ accomplishments"]
