People: SAG awards event reflects diversity
The Screen Actors Guild Awards were not so white.
While the Academy Awards remain enveloped in a crisis over the diversity of its nominees, the 22nd annual SAG Awards on Saturday presented a stark antidote to the rancor that has overwhelmed Hollywood’s awards season. Awards were handed out to Queen Latifah, Uzo Aduba, Viola Davis and Idris Elba (twice), as the actors guild cast a loud vote in favor of diversity on big and small screens.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to diverse TV,” said Elba in his third trip on stage as a presenter. His first two were to accept awards for his supporting performance in the Netflix child soldier drama “Beasts of No Nation” and for his lead performance in the BBC miniseries “Luther.”
The night’s top honor, best ensemble in a film, went to the newspaper drama “Spotlight,” which came into Saturday badly in need of some momentum. The ensemble award had seemingly come down to “Spotlight” or – the film with the wind at its back – Adam McKay’s high finance tale “The Big Short,” which last week took the Producers Guild’s top award.
Elba made no direct reference to the crisis that has swept through Hollywood in the last two weeks – which might have been far less severe had he been nominated by the Academy Awards, as many expected. But it was on the minds and tongues of seemingly everyone in Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium on Saturday night.
Accepting the most outstanding ensemble award, comedy series, for “Orange Is the New Black,” co-star Laura Prepon gestured to the cast of the prison comedy standing behind her.
“Look at this stage,” said Prepon at Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium. “This is what we talk about when we talk about diversity.”
Individual actor SAG winners the last three years have exactly corresponded with eventual Oscar winners, which meant that SAG winners Leonardo DiCaprio (“The Revenant”), Brie Larson (”Room”) and Alicia Vikander (“The Danish Girl”) all appear to have cemented their status as favorites. Each won, as expected.
For the third time, “Downton Abbey” won best ensemble in a drama series. Best actor in a TV comedy went to Jeffery Tambor for the acclaimed Amazon series “Transparent.” Kevin Spacey won his second SAG Award for “House of Cards.”
Comedian Carol Burnett accepted the SAG lifetime achievement award from presenters Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Recalling the uphill battle she faced, Burnett remembered being warned that “comedy variety is a man’s game.” She then dramatically shook her head and mouthed: “No.”
The birthday bunch
Actress Carol Channing is 95. Actor Jonathan Banks is 69. Musician Harry Wayne Casey (KC and the Sunshine Band) is 65. Actor Anthony LaPaglia is 57. Actress Minnie Driver is 46. Actress Portia de Rossi is 43. Singer Justin Timberlake is 35. Country singer Tyler Hubbard (Florida Georgia Line) is 29. Musician Marcus Mumford (Mumford and Sons) is 29.