SAG Awards Set Stage for Most Diverse Oscars Winners Ever

The SAG Awards have weighed in with their winners and have set in movement on what may very well be essentially the most various slate of main Oscar winners within the 93-year historical past of the Academy Awards.

The celebration of the twenty seventh annual ceremony, which is voted on by the approximate 160,000-person membership of actors, was revealed through the one-hour pre-taped present by way of Zoom on Sunday evening.

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Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7” took the highest prize of the night for solid ensemble, marking its first main win of the awards season. In the performing classes, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” stars Chadwick Boseman and Viola Davis received the main female and male actor classes. Daniel Kaluuya (“Judas and the Black Messiah”) and Yuh-Jung Youn (“Minari”) landed the female and male supporting statues.

It marked the primary time in SAG historical past that every one 4 movie performing classes went to actors of shade.

Boseman’s posthumous win was a primary in any main class on the SAG awards, placing him one step nearer in direction of Oscar. In addition to profitable Critics Choice and the Golden Globe, subsequent week’s BAFTAs might additional solidify his frontrunner standing, even when Anthony Hopkins (“The Father”) has the house discipline benefit throughout the pond. If Boseman does win the BAFTA, it’s a must to return to 2002, when Russell Crowe (“A Beautiful Mind”) misplaced the Oscar to Denzel Washington (“Training Day”), for a nominee to lose after taking house so many precursors. Coincidentally, that was additionally the yr that Halle Berry (“Monster’s Ball”) grew to become the primary and (nonetheless solely) Black girl to win the lead actress class, which brings us to the enigma that’s greatest actress 2021.

Davis’ win from SAG, her third particular person general for film performances, makes her the fourth particular person actress winner from the televised award exhibits, an unprecedented prevalence for lead actress in 27 years. The Globes went with Andra Day (“The United States vs. Billie Holiday”) in drama and Rosamund Pike (“I Care A Lot”) in comedy whereas Carey Mulligan (“Promising Young Woman”) picked up the Critics Choice Award.

However, on the subject of profitable each actor and actress on the Oscars, it’s no simple feat. The final time that occurred was 23 years in the past, in 1998, when Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt each triumphed for “As Good As It Gets,” a film that was additionally nominated for greatest image. “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” will not be.

And the BAFTAs received’t make issues any clearer. The solely greatest actress Oscars nominees within the operating for that prize are Vanessa Kirby (“Pieces of a Woman”) and Frances McDormand (“Nomadland”).

For Kaluuya, his win was anticipated, and together with Boseman, appears to be the one sure-fire bets within the main classes on the Academy. And similar to Boseman, if Kaluuya wins BAFTA, the place his closest competitor Sacha Baron Cohen (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”) will not be nominated, no supporting actor has misplaced the Oscar when strolling in with BAFTA, Critics Choice, Golden Globe and SAG.

For greatest supporting actress, Youn might need moved forward because the frontrunner of that class. With “Minari” touchdown six nominations, she will be able to function a winner to signify the movie, and extra importantly, she’ll be simply the second feminine Asian performing winner in historical past following Miyoshi Umeki in “Sayonara” (1957). It’s not all sewn up for the critics’ darling, but as Maria Bakalova (“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”) continues to be an element to think about. Picking up a win from Critics Choice, the 2 will face-off one final time at BAFTA, the place none of their different supporting actress rivals are nominated. It’s protected to say, whoever wins at BAFTA, probably wins on the Oscars.

With assessing the SAG winners, and their translation to Oscar winners, in 27 years, they’ve matched seven occasions, averaging three in a given yr. It could be protected to imagine somebody will come up brief, however who, and during which class?

The 2001 awards yr is the one time two Black actors received the main statuettes on the Oscars. Denzel Washington (“Training Day”) pulled off a shocking upset over Russell Crowe (“A Beautiful Mind”) and Halle Berry (“Monster’s Ball”) was additionally the primary Black actress to win the class. Without a BAFTA or a SAG nom and the only illustration for her movie on the Oscars, Day has the hardest mountain to climb. No main efficiency has ever received the Oscar with out BAFTA and SAG within the fashionable period. In truth, solely two actors have ever received with out the 2 our bodies: Marcia Gay Harden in “Pollock” (2001) and Regina King in “If Beale Street Could Talk” (2018) within the final 20 years of actress winners. Only Charlize Theron (“Monster”) and Julianne Moore (“Still Alice”) have been the only nominees for their movies, sweeping their respective awards seasons.

You need to surprise, are sufficient voters going to take the time to look at Day’s movie earlier than Oscar evening, notably within the artisan races the place about 63% of the voters are? Davis’ movie is on observe to win 4 of its 5 nominations (actor, actress, costumes and make-up). Does it grow to be a “down-the-line” poll sort of vote? Also, might “Ma Rainey” be essentially the most awarded movie of the evening? No non-best image nominated movie has led the wins solely, within the historical past of the Academy?

Finally, with the SAG ensemble and Oscars’ greatest image, the 2 have solely matched 12 of the final 26 years. The final 5 have been “Parasite” (2019), “Spotlight” (2015), “Birdman” (2014), “Argo” (2012) and “The King’s Speech” (2010). It’s value noting that Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland” and Fennell’s “Promising Young Woman” weren’t nominated for ensemble. Only “Braveheart” (1995), “The Shape of Water” (2017) and “Green Book” (2018) have received image with out the nom.

While this yr’s Oscar nominees introduced essentially the most various in historical past, are we headed for an all-acting lineup of actors of shade? If Zhao wins director and her movie taking image, that’s a situation that 10 years in the past wouldn’t have even been imagined.

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