HOLLYWOOD—Now this is the Awards Show that I look forward to because it’s actors delivering accolades to other actors. The 2025 Screen Actors Guild Awards were held on Sunday, February 23, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. It wasn’t on TNT or TBS as in the past, it was televised on Netflix. That is such a bummer for individuals who don’t have the streaming service.
I’m like c’mon, as long as the Oscars don’t move to streaming solely, which I don’t think it ever will, they’ve been on ABC for as long as I can recall and I hope it stays that way permanently because the production value there just works, where with streaming, anything can happen at a given time. This year was the first time that I can recall in forever that SAG decided to have a host again, with “Nobody Wants This” star Kristen Bell taking on the role of Master of Ceremonies. Bell did a fine job despite the mishaps with teleprompters throughout the ceremony and delivered some laughs along the way.
For those who continue to pay attention to the awards seasons, the winners were a potential sign to what Oscar might do next week when it comes to Supporting Female, Supporting Male, Lead Male and Lead Female, not to mention that Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture prize which is SAG’s equivalent of a Best Picture prize. With “Anora” having such dominance in recent weeks, one could only expect it might take home the big prize, but nope, that accolade went to “Conclave” which FINALLY is getting the love that I think is long overdue.
It won the BAFTA prize for Best Picture last week, and now with this Screen Actors Guild win, this Oscar battle for Best Picture is looking like a duel between “Conclave” and “Anora” and I don’t know who’s going to be victorious once the dust settles. Both Kieran Culkin and Zoe Saldana continued their awards season victories with SAG trophies for Male Actor and Female Actor in Supporting Roles in a Motion Picture for “A Real Pain” and “Emilia Perez.” If they lose Oscar next week, I will indeed be stunned. It can happen, Oscar always loves a surprise or two for its audience.
Anna Sawai from “Shogun” earned the Female Actor SAG Award in a Drama Series, while her co-star Hiroyuki Sanada won for Male Actor in a Drama Series. No one was shocked with Jean Smart’s win for Female Actor in a Comedy Series for “Hacks,” but people were surprised with Martin Short winning Male Actor in a Comedy Series for “Only Murders in the Building” over Jeremy Allen White for “The Bear.” People, “The Bear” is a drama NOT a comedy. “Shogun” won the SAG Award for Outstanding Cast in a Drama Series, while surprise, “Only Murders in the Building” took home the prize for Comedy Series. Some would say that is well overdue.
In the Limited Series or TV Movie race, Jessica Gunning won for Female Actor for her work in “Baby Reindeer,” while Colin Farrell was victorious for Male Actor in a TV Movie or Limited Series for “The Penguin.” Acting legend Jane Fonda was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award and took the time to point out the importance of not giving up the fight for the difficult times that are ahead. Yeah, it was political, but this is Jane Fonda, so when has this woman not been afraid to get political and speak her mind. She makes it clear that empathy is important right now and that “woke just mean you give a damn about other people.”
The shocking moments were the final trophies of the night with the big stunner being Male Actor in a Leading Role in a Motion Picture with Timothee Chalamet “A Complete Unknown” winning over Adrien Brody for “The Brutalist.” Chalamet was stunned with his win, and it totally makes this battle for the Best Actor Oscar that is certain to unfold in less than a week that much more interesting. Brody is the perennial favorite, but Chalamet’s performance is one that has been talked about for quite some time. He is the epitome of a ‘dark horse’ in this race.
I had been on edge about Female Actor in a Leading Role in a Motion Picture as it was apparent that Mikey Madison was gaining some serious steam with wins from BAFTA and the Spirit Awards recently. Demi Moore had previously won the Golden Globe and Critic’s Choice Award over Madison, so SAG had a lot of impact on this race as we head into the Oscars.
It was Moore who came out on top for her performance in “The Substance.” I think Moore’s victory is a hint of her decades long career finally getting accolades that she has been long overlooked for. However, that doesn’t mean Madison doesn’t have a chance.
As pointed out earlier, “Conclave” won the Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, which let’s be honest, that cast is firing on ALL CYLINDERS when it comes to acting, not a weak one in the bunch led by the great Ralph Fiennes, with Isabella Rossellini, Stanely Tucci and John Lithgow amongst others in supporting roles. With Oscar voting already over, I don’t know what impact the SAG victory has at this point, but it points to plenty of voters likely choosing that movie over “Anora,” but we shall see when the envelopes for Oscar are open on Sunday, March 2. Awards Season is indeed coming to an end America.
