SAG Awards 2024: Oppenheimer dominates ahead of Oscars

Oppenheimer continued its dominance of awards season as it scored several major prizes at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards on Saturday.

Christopher Nolan’s film won best film cast, 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”.

The evening was peppered with remarks about the actors’ strike, which brought Hollywood to a standstill last year.

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.”

He recalled the night last July when the cast of Oppeheimer downed tools at the film’s London premiere as the strike began.

“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.”

The film, about theoretical physicist J Robert Oppenheimer, described as the father of the atomic bomb, is almost certain to win best picture at the Oscars next month following its success at SAG and other precursor ceremonies.

The prize for best film cast is seen as the top honour at the SAG Awards in the absence of a best picture category. Winners at the annual ceremony, held in Los Angeles, are voted for by other actors.

Irish actor Cillian Murphy said his win was “extremely, extremely special to me, because it comes from you guys”.

He recalled: “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.”

Best actor had been seen a two-horse race ahead of the Oscars on 10 March, but Murphy’s win gives him significant momentum over his nearest rival, Paul Giamatti of The Holdovers.

Elsewhere, Killers of the Flower Moon star Lily Gladstone was named best leading actress – giving her own Oscars campaign a significant boost.

“This has been a hard year for all of us, those of us in this room, those not in this room, I’m so proud that we have gotten here in solidarity with all of our other unions,” she said in her acceptance speech.

“It’s truly a gift that we get to do this for a living. That’s the win, getting to be here, getting to be on set, getting to tell stories. We bring empathy into a world that so needs it.”

She added: “It’s so easy to distance ourselves, to close off, stop feeling, and [actors] all bravely keep feeling, it brings people out of the shadows, it brings visibility.”

Gladstone’s win leaves the Oscars category for best actress too close to call, following Poor Things star Emma Stone’s victory at last week’s Baftas.

Winners in the television categories included Ali Wong and Steven Yeun for Netflix’s road rage series Beef, and Pedro Pascal for post-apocalyptic drama The Last of Us.

Ayo Edebiri and Jeremy Allen White were also recognised for kitchen comedy The Bear, while Elizabeth Debicki won best drama actress for playing Princess Diana in The Crown.

The Bear was named best ensemble comedy cast, while Succession won best ensemble drama cast for its critically-acclaimed fourth and final season.

“Not only did we all get to work on one of the best television shows, maybe ever, but we made friends for life,” said actor Alan Ruck as he accepted the prize on behalf of the cast.

Tributes were paid to Matthew Perry, Harry Belafonte, Sir Michael Gambon, Tina Turner, Angus Cloud, Glenda Jackson, Alan Arkin, Julian Sands, Lance Reddick, Lee Sun-kyun, Tom Wilkinson, Andre Braugher and Chita Rivera in the show’s In Memoriam segment.

The Devil Wears Prada stars Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt and Anne Hathaway were reunited to present the first award of the night.

Streep initially appeared to accidentally walk straight into the microphone stand – before explaining to the audience she did not have her glasses with her, or the envelope containing the winner.

The two actresses who played her on-screen assistants in the 2006 film then appeared with the envelope and glasses, before the trio delivered a joyous sketch featuring several of the movie’s most famous lines.

Presenting another category, Melissa McCarthy asked Billie Eilish to sign her forehead as she told the singer what a huge fan she was, and the casts of Modern Family and Breaking Bad reunited to present the awards for best comedy and drama ensemble cast respectively.

BBC