22nd Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award Winners – Spotlight Triumphs, Diversity Wins Big

Spotlight won the top award at last night’s 22nd Screen Actors Guild awards but the big news of the night was Idris Elba winning Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role for Beasts of No Nation. He became the first person in history to win an individual SAG award without a corresponding Oscar nomination. Elba had been nominated for all of the major precursors leading up to the Oscar nominations (SAG, BAFTA, Golden Globe) but was snubbed by the Academy Awards. Elba also picked up an award on the television side, for Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries for Luther.

Including Elba’s television win, four of the six winners on the television side went to people of color; Viola Davis and Uzo Aduba repeated their performance in a Drama and Comedy series wins from last year and Queen Latifah won for TV Movie or Miniseries performance. These wins marked a defining difference between the Screen Actors Guild, and the availability of roles in television to people of color, and the Oscars and their second year in a row of all white acting nominees.

Backstage after her win, Davis talked about the ongoing issue of diversity in the industry as succinctly as she did in her Emmy acceptance speech. “We’ve become a society of trending topics. Diversity is not a trending topic … I see myself as an actor, no matter what is going on in the business, I will find a way to practice my art,” she said of finding roles. “All the actors of color I know don’t place any limitations on themselves either… regardless of what’s going on in the industry, no matter what’s going on in the Academy, they will find a way to be excellent. We always have and we always will.”

In other SAG-specific news, Spotlight’s win keeps this crazy Oscar season afloat by holding off PGA winner The Big Short. Although history lines up for The Big Short in Best Picture, Spotlight’s win here still keeps it in the race. Elsewhere, winners on the film side were as most predicted: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brie Larson and Alicia Vikander, all of whom should repeat at the Oscars next month.

But, it’s Elba’s win here that could mean a surefire win for Sylvester Stallone next month. Most bets were on Mark Rylance or Christian Bale to triumph as they were the only two Oscar nominees in that group. We still have BAFTA to possibly tip the scales in someone’s favor (most likely Bale) but for now, Stallone looks like a winner.

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
SPOTLIGHT

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
LEONARDO DiCAPRIO / Hugh Glass – “THE REVENANT” (20th Century Fox

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
BRIE LARSON / Ma – “ROOM” (A24)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
IDRIS ELBA / Commandant – “BEASTS OF NO NATION” (Netflix)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
ALICIA VIKANDER / Gerda Wegener – “THE DANISH GIRL” (Focus Features)

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

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TELEVISION NOMINEES

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
DOWNTON ABBEY (Masterpiece/PBS)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
KEVIN SPACEY / Francis Underwood – “HOUSE OF CARDS” (Netflix)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
VIOLA DAVIS / Annalise Keating – “HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER” (ABC)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK (Netflix)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
JEFFREY TAMBOR / Maura Pfefferman – “TRANSPARENT” (Amazon)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
UZO ADUBA / Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren – “ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK” (Netflix)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
IDRIS ELBA / DCI John Luther – “LUTHER” (BBC America)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
QUEEN LATIFAH / Bessie Smith – “BESSIE” (HBO)

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series
GAME OF THRONES (HBO)