SAG Awards 2018: James Franco Is Slated to Attend

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The Screen Actors Guild Awards often forecast Oscar winners, but tonight’s ceremony — starting at 8 p.m. and broadcast on both TBS and TNT — may well be overshadowed by controversies swirling around two nominees.

James Franco, who is up for best lead actor for his performance in “The Disaster Artist,” was recently accused of sexually inappropriate behavior by five women. And Aziz Ansari, a best actor nominee for his comedy series “Master of None,” joined the ranks of alleged abusers last week after a young woman, speaking anonymously to a reporter from Babe.net, said he had been sexually coercive on a date.

Mr. Franco has denied any wrongdoing, and, according to CNN, will be at tonight’s ceremony. Mr. Ansari said in a statement he had believed his interaction with the woman had been “completely consensual;” his attendance tonight is unclear. Both men have said they continue to support people stepping forward with stories of harassment and abuse.

Tonight, Kristen Bell, the SAG Awards’ first ever host, faces the unenviable choice of addressing what the men stand accused of or making it the elephant in the room.

Opting to say nothing would be a startling move, not least because the majority of presenters tonight will be women, a deliberate decision made by the producers in the wake of last January’s Women’s March and the launch of the #MeToo movement. (Last year’s SAG Awards were markedly political, with winners denouncing the newly unveiled anti-Muslim travel ban.) Ms. Bell has also said she will wear black tonight in a nod to #MeToo.

At the Golden Globes on Jan. 7, Seth Meyers won praise for threading the needle, referencing Hollywood’s sexual harassment scandals while ginning up genuine belly laughs. But that was before women began making claims against Mr. Franco and Mr. Ansari, who both collected Golden Globes that night. Indeed the accusers said they were inspired by the Time’s Up pins both men were wearing in support of people who had been victimized.

As for the SAG Awards themselves, the best ensemble prize is arguably the most consequential: for the past years 21, every Oscar best picture winner has either won or been nominated for that award.

The outlook is slightly muddier this year. At Saturday night’s Producers Guild Awards, “The Shape of Water” won for best feature, but it did not manage to land a SAG best ensemble nomination. Instead, “The Big Sick,” “Get Out,” “Lady Bird,” “Mudbound” and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” are in contention tonight and whichever film wins can be considered the picture to beat at the Academy Awards. And, while the acting awards are less predictive, chances are good that tonight’s winners will be among the Oscar nominees announced on Tuesday.