The film Oppenheimer was crowned at the Screen Actors Guild Awards in the United States (SAG-AFTRA) with the statuette for best cast or supporting cast, the highest recognition of these awards that marked the return of the performers after the strike they carried out in 2023 in search of better working conditions.
“SAG-AFTRA, thank you for fighting for us, thank you to every member who supported us. The last time we were all together was on a red carpet from which we withdrew (due to the strike) in solidarity. This is a closing of the cycle for us,” noted actor Kenneth Brannagh, who received the award on behalf of the Oppenheimer cast.
Cillian Murphy, who plays the tormented creator of the atomic bomb Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan’s film, won in the best actor category, while Robert Downey Jr. received the award for best supporting actor, continuing the success he has already they had won at galas such as the Golden Globes or the BAFTAs.
The best actress award went to Lily Gladstone for The Moon Killers, who had a close dispute with Poor Creatures star Emma Stone, while the best supporting actress award went to Da’Vine Joy Randolph for her role in Those Who Remain, by Alexander Payne. “It’s a gift to be able to do this for a living. We bring empathy to a world that needs it. It would be easy to shut down and stop feeling, but we very bravely continue to feel,” Gladstone said.
However, the highest-grossing film of 2023, Barbie, and the film Poor Things, by Yorgos Lanthimos, did not receive any awards.
With these results, Oppenheimer reaffirms its career as the favorite film for the next Oscars, whose ceremony will take place on March 10, where it is nominated in thirteen categories.
The television section was monopolized by The Bear and Succession, series that had already triumphed in ceremonies such as the Golden Globes, the Emmys and the Critics Choice Awards.
Succession won the award for best cast in a drama series, while The Bear won a statuette for best cast in a comedy series, best comedy actor – for Jeremy Allen White’s work – and best supporting actress in a series – by the performance of Ayo Edebiri-.
Pedro Pascal was the big surprise of the night by beating Kieran Culkin, the winner of awards such as the Emmys and the Golden Globes, in the category of best actor in a drama series for his character Joel in the HBO series The Last of Us. “This is wrong for many reasons, I’m a little drunk. Thank you very much, I have been part of this union since 1999 and this is an honor (…) It’s going to give me a heart attack,” said Pascal, moved to tears.
The actress Elizabeth Debicki, who plays Princess Diana of Wales in the series The Crown, won the award for best actress in a drama series, and as expected, series Beef, won in sections as best actor and actress in a series limited.
One of the most emotional moments of the ceremony, which for the first time in history was broadcast live on Netflix, was the speech by the actress and president of SAG-AFTRA, Fran Drescher, who highlighted some points of her victory after the strike historical event that Hollywood actors and screenwriters carried out in 2023 against studios and streaming platforms.
“Their solidarity ignited workers around the world, triggering what will forever be remembered as the hot summer of work in which they took the hero’s path,” the actress said. “They understood what our enormous contribution to this wonderful industry means and now here we are, standing tall and proud,” Drescher said.
Other highlights of the night were the tribute to the career of Barbra Streisand and the reunion of the iconic protagonists of The Devil Wears Prada: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt on stage at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles, California .
