The 30th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards took place Saturday, allowing Hollywood performances from 2023 to receive honor and recognition.
2023 was a prominent year for the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists as they were on strike from July to November to protest unfair wages, according to the Screen Actors Guild website . During the year, however, critically acclaimed productions such as “Oppenheimer” and “The Bear” were released, and the SAG took notice.
The night’s premiere award, Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, went to Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer.” This is in part to the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon that took the nation by storm over the summer, pairing Nolan’s biographical drama with Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” based upon the eponymous mattel toy. Kenneth Branagh, who played Niels Bohr, spoke on behalf of the cast upon winning the award.
“Thank you [to] every SAG-AFTRA member whose support and whose sacrifice allows us to be standing here better than we were before,” Branagh said. “When we were all last together, it was at the premiere of this film on July 14 last year when the strike was just about to begin and led by our fearless leader the great Cillian Murphy. We went from the red carpet and we didn’t see the film that night.”
Branagh also referenced the SAG-AFTRA strike, which led to the cast missing the premiere of Nolan’s $100 million project, according to Collider .
Two cast members from “Oppenheimer” would also walk away with some gold. Cillian Murphy won the Male Actor in a Lead Role award for his portrayal of J. Robert Oppenheimer. Robert Downey Jr. won Male Actor in a Supporting Role for his role of Lewis Strauss.
Rounding out the film category, Da’Vine Joy Randolph would take home the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role with her role of Mary Lamb in Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers,” and Lily Gladstone would win the Female Actor in a Lead Role for her portrayal of Mollie Burkhart in Martin Scorcese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
“This has been a hard year for all of us, those in this room, those not in this room,” Gladstone said, “I’m so proud that we’ve gotten here in solidarity with all of our other unions. It’s truly a gift that we get to do this for a living. That’s the win.”
Gladstone, in a tear-filled speech, emphasized that, to her, being able to tell stories on screen is a gift. She encouraged fellow actors to keep bringing empathy into a world “that so much needs it.” She closed her speech off with the advice to “Keep speaking your truths, keep speaking up for each other.”
In the Television category, the casts of “Succession” and “The Bear” won Best Ensemble for a Drama and Comedy series, respectively. The latter also saw Jeremy Allen White take home Best Male Actor in a Comedy Series and Ayo Edebiri win Best Female Actor in a Comedy Series.
For roles in a drama series, Pedro Pascal won Best Male Actor for his portrayal of Joel Miller in “The Last of Us” and Elizabeth Debicki won Best Female Actor for her performance of Princess Diana in “The Crown.”
Another moment of recognition came when Barbra Streisand accepted the “Life Achievement Award” honoring her extensive career in Hollywood. The moment brought notable stars such as Anne Hathaway to tears, as shown in the video recording of the speech.
“I’ve loved working with you, playing with you and inhabiting that magical world of the movies with you,” Streisand said. “And most of all I want to thank you for giving me so much joy just watching all of you on the screen. Thank you for that.”
Streisand was met with a standing ovation.
The SAG awards night may also be a sign of things to come. Last year, every actor who won a film category award at the SAG Awards would also take home an Oscar. The Oscars will take place this Saturday.