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LOS ANGELES, Feb 28 (US): In a surprise, deaf family drama ‘CODA’ took top honors at the unpredictable and history-making 28th Screen Actors Guild Awards which also saw a win for the leaders of ‘Squid Game’ The cast of “Ted Lasso” and Will Smith.
The party, which took place Sunday at the Parker Hanger in Santa Monica, California, and aired on both TNT and TBS, was markedly breaking boundaries, bringing historic victories to deaf actors, Korean stars and some of the biggest names in Hollywood. It culminated in “CODA,” Sian Heder’s heartwarming film on Apple TV+ that features three deaf actors Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur, and Daniel Durant, along with newcomer Emilia Jones, who won Best Ensemble. The film is seen as a watershed moment for the deaf community in Hollywood.
“This underscores the fact that we, deaf actors, can act like everyone else. Before teaching sign language to the crowd for ‘I love you,’ we look forward to more opportunities for deaf actors,” Matlin said on stage before teaching the crowd sign language for ‘I love you.’
Matlin is the only deaf actress to win an Academy Award, but her “CODA” co-star, Kotsur, may be in line to join her. Kotsur won Best Supporting Actor on Sunday, becoming the first deaf actor to win an individual SAG award. When his name was read, the 53-year-old veteran actor sank his head in his hands. On stage, he thanked his wife for “reminding me to check my butt before walking the red carpet.”
Netflix’s “Squid Game,” the first non-English speaking series to be nominated by the Actors Guild, has won three awards, including Lee Jung-jae for Best Male Actor in a Drama Series and Jung Hoyeon for Best Female Actress in a Drama Series. . Those victories came over “Succession” stars Brian Cox and Jeremy Strong, Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston from “The Morning Show.”
“I’ve sat many times watching you on the big screen dreaming of becoming an actor one day,” Young told the audience as he fought back to tears.
The SAG Awards are one of the most reliable predictors of the Academy Awards. Actors make up the bulk of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and their choices often align. In 2020, when Parasite and Brad Pitt won, they matched up perfectly.
Although the Actors Guild and the Academy diverged last year when Aaron Sorkin’s 1960s courtroom drama “Trial of the Chicago 7” topped the SAG Awards and “Nomadland” won the Academy Awards, winning “CODA” indicates To winning Best is a major threat picture over Kenneth Branna’s “Belfast” (who didn’t win on Sunday) and leading Oscar nominee Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog” (which failed to gain a collective nod despite three of its cast They may be nominated individually).
The SAG record could also mean that Will Smith, star of Williams’ family tennis drama “King Richard,” is headed for his first Oscar. Smith was named Best Actor, and scored his first SAG Award.
“That was probably one of the greatest moments of my career now just because my name was called King Richard sitting next to Venus Williams,” Smith said.
Best Actress was the most difficult category to keep track of. Many saw Olivia Colman (“The Lost Daughter”) as the nominee for her second Oscar. In a particularly competitive category, those who were ignored often attracted the most focus. Kristen Stewart from “Spencer” was abandoned by the SAG, while Lady Gaga (“House of Gucci”) was absent from the film academy.
However, it was Jessica Chastain, who plays the infamous TV preacher in “The Eyes of Tami Fey,” who won Sunday, receiving her first singles award at the SAG. With the Oscars looming on March 27, no category might be more uncertain.
Meanwhile, West Side Story’s Ariana Debus confirmed she’s the front-runner with her win on Sunday for Best Supporting Performance by an Actress. The DeBose award has also had a historic resonance.
“It’s an indication that the doors are opening,” DeBose said, speaking to reports in a behind-the-scenes virtual media room. “It’s an honor to be seen, it’s an honor to be an Afro-Latino, gay woman of color, dancer, singer, and actress. It shows that I won’t be the last, and that’s the important part.”
The SAG Awards, which will be available to stream Monday on HBO Max, will be presented by the Hollywood Actors Guild SAG-AFTRA. Not an event, the January Golden Globes were Hollywood’s first televised in-person awards show—complete with a red carpet and tearful speeches—this year. The “Hamilton” trio consisting of Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr. and David Diggs began broadcasting under the banner “Together Again”.
“We are back in a world where all we have to do to hang out like this is get dressed, show up, get a swab, sterilize, scan, mask, vaccinate, boost, test fast, and remove PCR in 24 hours,” said Odom Jr. Now who’s ready to celebrate?”
Some of the actors, citing quarantine regulations regarding production schedules, attended remotely — including lead television candidate, “Ted Lasso.” Appearing via a video link with colleagues around him, Jason Sudeikis accepted the award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series. Apple TV + was later named Best Comedy Series Collection.
While the Academy Awards do not mandate vaccination for presenters (present only), it was required for the SAG Awards, which are voted on by the Hollywood Actors Guild SAG-AFTRA. Other awards went to Jan Smart from Hacks, Kate Winslet from Mare of Easttown and Michael Keaton from Dopesick, who dedicated his award to his nephew Michael. Keaton had previously said he died of fentanyl and heroin abuse in 2016.
The SAG Awards were also crowned by “Queen” actress Helen Mirren. The five-time SAG winner was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
“Honestly, any achievement I succeed at is the result of my motto which is basically: Be on time and don’t be late,” said 76-year-old Mirren. “Thank you, thank you, SAG so much for this. I hate to say ‘sag’ at my age.”
HF