Tag: Screen Actors Guild Awards

Articles about the Screen Actors Guild Awards

2020 Screen Actors Guild Awards: Robert De Niro to receive Life Achievement Award

November 12, 2019

Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)

The following is a press release from the Screen Actors Guild:

Robert De Niro – Academy Award®-winning actor, producer and director – has been named the 56th recipient of SAG-AFTRA’s highest tribute: the SAG Life Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment. De Niro will be presented the performers union’s top accolade at the 26th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, which will be simulcast live on TNT and TBS on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020 at 8 p.m. (ET), 7 p.m. (CT), 6 p.m. (MT) and 5 p.m. (PT).

The SAG Life Achievement Award is given annually to an actor who fosters the “finest ideals of the acting profession.” De Niro will add the award to his extraordinary catalog of preeminent industry and public honors, which includes two Academy Awards®, a Golden Globe® Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award®, a Silver Berlin Bear, a Kennedy Center Honor, a Presidential Medal of Freedom, a GLADD Excellence in Media Award and the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Chaplin Award. He was also awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Brown University.

“Robert De Niro is an actor of extraordinary depth and ability. The characters he creates captivate our imaginations. From the smoldering inferno of young Vito Corleone to the raging bull Jake Lamotta and everybody’s grandpa Ben Whittaker, he continues to touch our hearts and open our minds to new and exciting worlds of understanding and emotion,” said Gabrielle Carteris, President of SAG-AFTRA. “It is my great privilege to announce that SAG-AFTRA’s highest honor will be presented to one of the most singular talents of our generation, Robert De Niro.”

“I have been a member of this union for over 50 years. It’s an honor to receive this award from SAG-AFTRA,” says De Niro.

A Lasting Impact Through Film

De Niro is the recipient of a SAG Award® for his work as a member of the cast of American Hustle. He received Screen Actors Guild Awards cast nominations for his work in Silver Linings Playbook, for which he also earned an individual nomination, and Marvin’s Room. De Niro is a seven-time Academy Award nominee, a six-time BAFTA nominee and a nine-time Golden Globe nominee. De Niro, who made his directorial debut in 1993 with A Bronx Tale, in which he also starred, can currently be seen in Joker.

De Niro’s breakthrough role was in the 1973 film Mean Streets, where he began the first of nine collaborations with director Martin Scorsese. Other films created out of their special partnership include Goodfellas, Cape Fear, Casino and the recently released Netflix film, The Irishman.

De Niro’s incredible repertoire of films includes his Academy Award®-winning roles in “The Godfather II” and “Raging Bull,” as well as Oscar®-nominated turns for his work in “The Deer Hunter,” “Taxi Driver,” “Awakenings,” “Cape Fear” and “Silver Linings Playbook.” De Niro has proven his versatility with his memorable dramatic roles in “The Untouchables,” “Jackie Brown” and “Backdraft,” and several successful comedies in his career, including “Meet the Parents,” “Meet the Fockers,” “Little Fockers,” “Analyze This” and the dramedy “Midnight Run.”

Accomplishments in Television

De Niro’s career has spanned into television where he has received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination and four Emmy nominations for his work both on- and off-screen. For his performance as disgraced financier Bernie Madoff in the HBO miniseries “The Wizard of Lies,” De Niro received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series, as well as Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. He won a Satellite Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film for his portrayal of Madoff.

He also earned Emmy nominations for his work as an executive producer on “The Wizard of Lies” and, again this year, as executive producer alongside Oprah Winfrey, Ava DuVernay, Jonathan King, Jane Rosenthal, Jeff Skoll and Berry Welsh, on the Netflix drama “When They See Us,” based on events surrounding the 1989 Central Park jogger case.

De Niro served as an executive producer for the NBC series “About a Boy,” starring Minnie Driver.

Philanthropist and Activist

New Yorkers know him as one of the driving forces behind the revitalization of downtown Manhattan into a center for the film industry. In 1989, he and Jane Rosenthal founded the Tribeca Film Center, the first commercial space in Tribeca dedicated to housing film, television, and entertainment companies.

After the attacks of 9/11, De Niro and Rosenthal co-founded the Tribeca Film Festival as a way to breathe new life into their neighborhood and spur economic development through the arts. Now welcoming its 19th year, the festival brings hundreds of thousands of visitors downtown each year and is a prominent cultural event not only for New Yorkers, but for the entire film industry. Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal were the 2011 recipients of the Rockefeller Foundation’s Jane Jacobs Medal for Lifetime Leadership.

He is also co-founder and co-chair of the Tribeca Film Institute, which supports the work and stories of underserved filmmakers.

In addition to his entertainment and philanthropic work, De Niro is involved in several capital ventures including part ownership of restaurants Nobu and Tribeca Grill, as well as The Greenwich Hotel in New York City and the Locanda Grill, located inside the hotel.

About the Life Achievement Award

Nominated and voted on by members of the SAG-AFTRA National Honors and Tributes Committee, the Life Achievement Award is bestowed for outstanding achievement in fostering the best ideals of the acting profession. The recipient of this award is a well-established performer who has contributed to improving the image of the acting profession and has a history of active involvement in humanitarian and public service endeavors.

About SAG-AFTRA

SAG-AFTRA represents approximately 160,000 actors, announcers, broadcaster journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists and other professionals. SAG-AFTRA members are the faces and voices that entertain and inform America and the world. With national offices in Los Angeles and New York and local offices nationwide, SAG-AFTRA members work together to secure the strongest protections for media artists into the 21st century and beyond.

Connect with SAG-AFTRA
Website: http://www.sagaftra.org
Twitter: http://twitter.com/sagaftra/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sagaftra/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/sagaftra
Instagram: http://instagram.com/sagaftra
Newsroom: http://www.sagaftra.org/newsroom

About the 26th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®

The 26th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®, presented by SAG-AFTRA with Screen Actors Guild Awards, LLC will be produced by Avalon Harbor Entertainment, Inc. and Hazy Mills Productions and will be simulcast live on TNT and TBS on Sunday, January 19, 2020, at 8 p.m. (ET) / 5 p.m. (PT). For more information about the SAG Awards®, SAG-AFTRA, TNT and TBS, visit sagawards.org/about.

Connect with the SAG Awards
Hashtag: #sagawards
Website: http://sagawards.org
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sagawardsofficialpage/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/sagawards/
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/sagawards/

About TNT

TNT, a WarnerMedia Entertainment brand, is basic cable’s #1 network in primetime among young adults and is home to some of television’s most popular slate of original series, including The Alienist, Animal Kingdom, Claws, I Am the Night and the upcoming sequel The Alienist: The Angel of Darkness. TNT’s forthcoming, premium unscripted series include Shaq Life and the live, multiplatform event Chasing the Cure.

TNT also presents popular shows such as Bones and Castle; primetime specials and sports coverage, including the NBA and NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championships and the professional wrestling league All Elite Wrestling (AEW).

About WarnerMedia

WarnerMedia is a leading media and entertainment company that creates and distributes premium and popular content from a diverse array of talented storytellers and journalists to global audiences through its consumer brands including: HBO, HBO Now, HBO Max, Warner Bros., TNT, TBS, truTV, CNN, DC, New Line, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies and others. WarnerMedia is part of AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T).

2019 Screen Actors Guild Awards: ‘Black Panther,’ ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ win top prizes

January 27, 2019

by Carla Hay

Scree Actors Guild Awards

 

With three prizes, the comedy series “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” was the top winner at the 25th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, which were presented at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on January 27, 2019. TNT and TBS had the U.S. telecast of the show, which was hosted by Megan Mullally. “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” received the SAG Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, while Rachel Brosnahan was award the prize for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series, and Tony Shalhoub won the award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series.

Meanwhile, the superhero movie “Black Panther” won two SAG Awards: Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture and Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture.

Rami Malek of “Bohemian Rhapsody” won the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role, while Glenn Close of “The Wife” received the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role. Malek and Close also won Golden Globes for their leading performances in these dramatic films.

Several of the other actors who won prizes at the 2019 Golden Globe Awards repeated their wins at the 2019 SAG Awards. They included Mahershala Ali of “Green Book” (Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role); Sandra Oh of “Killing Eve” (Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series); Darren Criss of “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story” (Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries); and Patricia Arquette of “Escape at Dannemora” (Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries).

For the second year in a row, “This Is Us” won the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Drama Series. Emily Blunt of the horror movie “A Quiet Place” received the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role.

“A Star Is Born,” which went into the ceremony with the most nominations (four) out of all the nominated movies, was ultimately shut out and didn’t win any SAG Awards. Also passed over in the movie categories, despite having multiple nominations, were “BlacKkKlansman,” “The Favourite” and “Vice.” Shutouts in the TV category were “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “The Kominsky Method,” “Barry,””Grace and Frankie” and “Sharp Objects,” which each had multiple nominations at the 2019 SAG Awards.

Eligible movies were those that were newly released in U.S. theaters in 2018, while eligible TV shows were those which had new episodes that were televised in prime-time on U.S. networks in 2018. The Screen Actors Guild votes for the awards. Emmy-winning actor Alan Alda received the SAG Life Achievement Award at the 2019 ceremony.

Here is the complete list of winners and nominees for the 2018 Screen Actors Guild Awards:

*=winner

MOVIES

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
“A Star Is Born”
“Black Panther”*
“BlacKkKlansman”
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“Crazy Rich Asians”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Christian Bale, “Vice”
Bradley Cooper, “A Star Is Born”
Rami Malek, “Bohemian Rhapsody”*
Viggo Mortensen, “Green Book”
John David Washington, “BlacKkKlansman”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Emily Blunt, “Mary Poppins Returns”
Glenn Close, “The Wife”*
Olivia Colman, “The Favourite”
Lady Gaga, “A Star Is Born”
Melissa McCarthy, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Mahershala Ali, “Green Book”*
Timothée Chalamet, “Beautiful Boy”
Adam Driver, “BlacKkKlansman”
Sam Elliott, “A Star Is Born”
Richard E. Grant, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams, “Vice”
Emily Blunt, “A Quiet Place”*
Margot Robbie, “Mary Queen of Scots”
Emma Stone, “The Favourite”
Rachel Weisz, “The Favourite”

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
“Ant-Man and the Wasp”
“Avengers: Infinity War”
“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”
“Black Panther”*
“Mission: Impossible – Fallout”

TELEVISION

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
“The Americans”
“Better Call Saul”
“The Handmaid’s Tale”
“Ozark”
“This Is Us”*

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
Jason Bateman, “Ozark”*
Sterling K. Brown, “This Is Us”
Joseph Fiennes, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
John Krasinski, “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan”
Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Julia Garner, “Ozark”
Laura Linney, “Ozark”
Elisabeth Moss, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Sandra Oh, “Killing Eve”*
Robin Wright, “House of Cards”

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
“Atlanta”
“Barry”
“GLOW”
“The Kominsky Method”
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”*

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Alan Arkin, “The Kominsky Method”
Michael Douglas, “The Kominsky Method”
Bill Hader, “Barry”
Tony Shalhoub, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”*
Henry Winkler, “Barry”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Alex Borstein, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
Alison Brie, “GLOW”
Rachel Brosnahan, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”*
Jane Fonda, “Grace and Frankie”
Lily Tomlin, “Grace and Frankie”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Antonio Banderas, “Genius: Picasso”
Darren Criss, “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”*
Hugh Grant, “A Very English Scandal”
Anthony Hopkins, “King Lear”
Bill Pullman, “The Sinner” 

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Amy Adams, “Sharp Objects”
Patricia Arquette, “Escape at Dannemora”*
Patricia Clarkson, “Sharp Objects”
Penélope Cruz, “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”
Emma Stone, “Maniac”

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series
“GLOW”*
“Marvel’s Daredevil”
“Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan”
“The Walking Dead”
“Westworld”

2019 Screen Actors Guild Awards: ‘A Star Is Born,’ ‘Ozark,’ ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ are the leading nominees

December 12, 2018

by Carla Hay

Scree Actors Guild Awards

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vHziRrCYqA

With four nominations each, the 2018 remake of “A Star Is Born” and the TV series “Ozark” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” are the top nominees for the 25th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, which will be presented at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on January 27, 2019. TNT and TBS will have the U.S. telecast of the show, which will be hosted by Megan Mullally.  “A Star Is Born,” “Ozark” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” each received nominations for the cast/ensemble categories, as well as for three actors in each project: Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga and Sam Elliott for “A Star Is Born”; Jason Bateman, Laura Linney and Julia Garner for “Ozark”; and Rachel Brosnahan, Tony Shalhoub and Alex Borstein for “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.”

Following close behind in nominations, with three nods each, are the period movies “BlacKkKlansman” and “The Favourite,” as well as the TV series “Barry,” “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “GLOW” and “The Kominsky Method.” Two actors received a nomination for a movie and a TV show for 2018: Emma Stone for “The Favourite” and “Maniac” and Amy Adams for “Vice” and “Sharp Objects.”

Eligible movies were those that were newly released in U.S. theaters in 2018, while eligible TV shows were those which had new episodes that were televised in prime-time on U.S. networks in 2018. The Screen Actors Guild votes for the awards. Emmy-winning actor Alan Alda will receive the SAG Life Achievement Award at the 2019 ceremony.

Movie Snubs and Surprises

The biggest snub in the movie categories was for “The Favourite,” which did not get a nomination for Best Cast in a Motion Picture, even though the three main stars of the movie (Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone) picked up individual SAG nominations. Instead, “Black Panther” and “Crazy Rich Asians,” which did not get any nominations in any of the categories for individual actors, managed to get nominated for Best Cast in a Motion Picture. The SAG Award winner for Best Cast in a Motion Picture almost always has someone in the cast with an individual nomination for the same movie, so the chances are very slim that “Black Panther” and “Crazy Rich Asians” will win the award. Meanwhile, a surprise nomination that was not widely predicted was “Bohemian Rhapsody” for Best Cast in a Motion Picture, while the widely predicted “Vice” was shut out of that category. Both movies have at least one member of the cast member nominated in the individual categories.

The SAG Awards completely snubbed “Roma,” “First Reformed,” “Eighth Grade” and “If Beale Street Could Talk,” which have been racking up awards with critics and shows that honor independent films. In particular, Regina King of “If Beale Street Could Talk” has been winning supporting actress awards at almost every show that she’s been getting nominations for the movie, but the SAG Awards won’t be on that list. The biggest surprise nominations are in the supporting female actor category, which had nods for Emily Blunt of “A Quiet Place” and Margot Robbie for “Mary Queen of Scots,” who previously were not getting nominated at major award shows for their roles in these movies. Blunt is also nominated for her lead role in “Mary Poppins Returns.” Meanwhile, previous SAG winner Nicole Kidman, whose name is frequently mentioned as a possible nominee for “Destroyer” and “Boy Erased,” did not receive any SAG nominations this time around.

TV Snubs and Surprises

“The Americans,” which had its final season in 2018, received a SAG ensemble nomination, but lead actors Matthew Rhys (who won an Emmy for the role this year) and Keri Russell were snubbed for individual SAG nominations. The SAG Awards have supporting actor categories for movies, but not for TV shows, so supporting actors in TV shows often get nominated in the same categories as the lead actors, as is the case with supporting female actor Borstein of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” supporting female actor Garner of “Ozark” and supporting male actor Henry Winkler of “Barry,” who was nominated alongside “Barry” lead actor Bill Hader.  Rhys and Russell of “The Americans,” Donald Glover of “Atlanta,” Regina King of “Seven Seconds,” Laura Dern of “The Tale,” and Issa Rae of “Insecure” are among the several lead actors who were shut out of individual SAG nominations this year, and could have been nominated in the categories for individuals if the SAG Awards had separate categories for supporting actors.

“House of Cards” has been ignored by Golden Globe voters for the show’s final two seasons (probably because of the scandals caused by former “House of Cards” star Kevin Spacey), but “House of Cards” picked up a SAG nomination this year for lead female actor Robin Wright. Other shows that received SAG nominations but were completely snubbed by the Golden Globes for 2018 were “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan” and “Grace and Frankie.” Conversely, shows that received Golden Globe nominations but were shut out of the SAG Awards for 2018 included “Homecoming,” “Pose,” “Seven Seconds,” “The Tale,” “Bodyguard,” “Will & Grace” and “Kidding.” Meanwhile, Bill Pullman received a SAG nomination (the first SAG nod of his career) for the limited series “The Sinner,” but widely predicted nominee Benedict Cumberbatch of the limited series “Patrick Melrose” (who received an Emmy nod for the role) was shut out of nominations for the SAG Awards and Golden Globes.

Here is the complete list of nominations for the 2018 Screen Actors Guild Awards:

MOVIES

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
“A Star Is Born”
“Black Panther”
“BlacKkKlansman”
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“Crazy Rich Asians”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Christian Bale, “Vice”
Bradley Cooper, “A Star Is Born”
Rami Malek, “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Viggo Mortensen, “Green Book”
John David Washington, “BlacKkKlansman”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Emily Blunt, “Mary Poppins Returns”
Glenn Close, “The Wife”
Olivia Colman, “The Favourite”
Lady Gaga, “A Star Is Born”
Melissa McCarthy, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Mahershala Ali, “Green Book”
Timothée Chalamet, “Beautiful Boy”
Adam Driver, “BlacKkKlansman”
Sam Elliott, “A Star Is Born”
Richard E. Grant, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams, “Vice”
Emily Blunt, “A Quiet Place”
Margot Robbie, “Mary Queen of Scots”
Emma Stone, “The Favourite”
Rachel Weisz, “The Favourite”

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
“Ant-Man and the Wasp”
“Avengers: Infinity War”
“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”
“Black Panther”
“Mission: Impossible – Fallout”

TELEVISION

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
“The Americans”
“Better Call Saul”
“The Handmaid’s Tale”
“Ozark”
“This Is Us”*

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
Jason Bateman, “Ozark”
Sterling K. Brown, “This Is Us”
Joseph Fiennes, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
John Krasinski, “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan”
Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Julia Garner, “Ozark”
Laura Linney, “Ozark”
Elisabeth Moss, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Sandra Oh, “Killing Eve”
Robin Wright, “House of Cards”

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
“Atlanta”
“Barry”
“GLOW”
“The Kominsky Method”
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Alan Arkin, “The Kominsky Method”
Michael Douglas, “The Kominsky Method”
Bill Hader, “Barry”
Tony Shalhoub, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
Henry Winkler, “Barry”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Alex Borstein, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
Alison Brie, “GLOW”
Rachel Brosnahan, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
Jane Fonda, “Grace and Frankie”
Lily Tomlin, “Grace and Frankie”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Antonio Banderas, “Genius: Picasso”
Darren Criss, “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”
Hugh Grant, “A Very English Scandal”
Anthony Hopkins, “King Lear”
Bill Pullman, “The Sinner” 

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Amy Adams, “Sharp Objects”
Patricia Arquette, “Escape at Dannemora”
Patricia Clarkson, “Sharp Objects”
Penélope Cruz, “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”
Emma Stone, “Maniac”

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series
“GLOW”
“Marvel’s Daredevil”
“Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan”
“The Walking Dead”
“Westworld”

2018 Screen Actors Guild Awards: ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’ is the top winner

January 21, 2018

by Carla Hay

“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” co-stars Sam Rockwell, Frances McDormand and Woody Harrelson at the 24th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on January 21, 2018.
(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

With three awards, the crime drama “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” was the top winner of the 24th Annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards. The ceremony took place at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on January 21, 2018. TBS and TNT had the live U.S. telecast of the show (at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT), which was hosted by Kristen Bell. It was the first time that the SAG Awards had a host.

“Three Billboards” won the prizes for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture; Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role (for Frances McDormand); and Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role (for Sam Rockwell).

TV shows that won two awards each were “This Is Us,” “Big Little Lies” and “Veep.”  Morgan Freeman received the Life Achievement Award at the show. He received the award from his former “Electric Company” co-star Rita Moreno, who was presented the same award by Freeman in 2014.

For the first time in SAG Awards history, all of the presenters who handed out the awards at the show were female. However, men weren’t left completely out, since individual cast members of both sexes from SAG-nominated movie introduced their films. Presenters at the award show included Halle Berry, Mandy Moore, Goldie Hawn, Kate Hudson, Brie Larson, Niecy Nash, Olivia Munn, Rosanna Arquette, Gabrielle Carteris, Maya Rudolph,  Molly Shannon, Dakota Fanning, Lupita Nyong’o, Gina Rodriguez, Emma Stone, Laura Linney, Marisa Tomei, Connie Britton, Megan Mullally, Leslie Mann, Sarah Silverman, Kelly Marie Tran.

From SAG-nominated movie casts, the presenters were McDormand, Rockwell and Woody Harrelson from “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”; Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf from “Lady Bird”;  Daniel Kaluuya and Allison Williams from “Get Out”; Mary J. Blige and Jason Clarke from “Mudbound”; and Kumail Nanjiani, Holly Hunter and Ray Romano from “The Big Sick.”

Prior to the televised ceremony, the honorees for outstanding action performances by film and television stunt ensembles were announced during the SAG Awards Red Carpet Pre-Show webcast.

Two nominating panels—one for television and one for film—each composed of 2,500 randomly selected SAG-AFTRA union members from across the United States chose this year’s nominees.

The SAG Awards and Golden Globe Awards are considered the best predictors of who and what will get nominated for Oscars and Emmys. Both award shows tend to have many of the same nominees, especially in the movie categories. However, the SAG Awards (which are voted for by SAG-AFTRA members) and Golden Globe Awards (which are voted for the by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association) can still have enough differences in their respective nominations to set them apart from each other.

Here is the complete list of nominations for the 2018 SAG Awards:

*=winner

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

“The Big Sick”
“Get Out”
“Lady Bird”
“Mudbound”
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”*

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

Timothee Chalamet, “Call Me by Your Name”
James Franco, “The Disaster Artist”
Daniel Kaluuya, “Get Out”
Gary Oldman, “Darkest Hour”*
Denzel Washington, “Roman J. Israel, Esq.”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

Judi Dench, “Victoria & Abdul”
Sally Hawkins, “The Shape of Water”
Frances McDormand, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”*
Margot Robbie, “I, Tonya”
Saoirse Ronan, “Lady Bird”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

Steve Carell, “Battle of the Sexes”
Willem Dafoe, “The Florida Project”
Woody Harrelson,”Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Richard Jenkins, “The Shape of Water”
Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”*

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

Mary J. Blige, “Mudbound”
Hong Chau, “Downsizing”
Holly Hunter, “The Big Sick”
Allison Janney, “I, Tonya”*
Laurie Metcalf, “Lady Bird”

TELEVISION

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

“The Crown”
“Game of Thrones”
“The Handmaid’s Tale”
“Stranger Things”
“This Is Us”*

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

Jason Bateman, “Ozark”
Sterling K. Brown, “This Is Us”*
Peter Dinklage, “Game of Thrones”
David Harbour, “Stranger Things”
Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series

Millie Bobby Brown, “Stranger Things”
Claire Foy, “The Crown”*
Laura Linney, “Ozark”
Elisabeth Moss, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Robin Wright, “House of Cards”

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

“Black-ish”
“Curb Your Enthusiasm”
“GLOW”
“Orange Is the New Black”
“Veep”*

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series

Anthony Anderson, “Black-ish”
Aziz Ansari, “Master of None”
Larry David, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”
Sean Hayes, “Will & Grace”
William H. Macy, “Shameless”*
Marc Maron, “GLOW”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series

Uzo Aduba, “Orange Is the New Black”
Alison Brie, “GLOW”
Jane Fonda, “Grace and Frankie”
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “Veep”*
Lily Tomlin, “Grace and Frankie”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

Benedict Cumberbatch, “Sherlock”
Jeff Daniels, “Godless”
Robert De Niro, “The Wizard of Lies”
Geoffrey Rush, “Genius”
Alexander Skarsgard, “Big Little Lies”*

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

Laura Dern, “Big Little Lies”
Nicole Kidman, “Big Little Lies”*
Jessica Lange, “Feud: Bette & Joan”
Susan Sarandon, “Feud: Bette & Joan”
Reese Witherspoon, “Big Little Lies”

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series

“Game of Thrones”*
“GLOW”
“Homeland”
“Stranger Things”
“The Walking Dead”

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture

“Baby Driver”
“Dunkirk”
“Logan”
“War for The Planet of the Apes”
“Wonder Woman”*

2018 Screen Actors Guild Awards: ‘Three Billboards,’ ‘Big Little Lies,’ ‘Stranger Things,’ ‘GLOW’ are the top nominees

December 13, 2017

by Carla Hay

SAG Awards logo

Sam Rockwell and Frances McDormand in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (Photo by Merrick Morton)

With four nominations each, the movie drama “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” and the TV shows “Big Little Lies,” “Stranger Things” and “GLOW” are the top contenders at the 24th Annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards. The ceremony will take place at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on January 21, 2018. TBS and TNT will have the live U.S. telecast of the show (at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT), which will be hosted by Kristen Bell. It’s the first time that the SAG Awards will have a host.

TNT and TBS subscribers can also watch the 2018 SAG Awards live through the networks’  websites and mobile apps. In addition, TNT will present a special encore of the ceremony at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT that same evening. Prior to the televised ceremony, the honorees for outstanding action performances by film and television stunt ensembles will be announced during the SAG Awards Red Carpet Pre-Show webcast. As previously announced, Morgan Freeman will receive the Life Achievement Award at the show.

Nominees for the 24th Annual SAG Awards were announced by actresses Olivia Munn and Niecy Nash at the Pacific Design Center’s Silver Screen Theater in West Hollywood, California, on December 13, 2017. Two nominating panels—one for television and one for film—each composed of 2,500 randomly selected SAG-AFTRA union members from across the United States chose this year’s nominees.

The SAG Awards and Golden Globe Awards are considered the best predictors of who and what will get nominated for Oscars and Emmys. Both award shows tend to have many of the same nominees, especially in the movie categories. However, the SAG Awards (which are voted for by SAG-AFTRA members) and Golden Globe Awards (which are voted for the by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association) can still have enough differences in their respective nominations to set them apart from each other.

Movie Snubs and Surprises

Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks in “The Post” (Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox)

The biggest snub at the SAG Awards this year was the complete shutout of “The Post,” an A-list drama about the Washington Post and the Pentagon Papers. “The Post”—directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks—failed to get any SAG Award nominations, but was nominated for six Golden Globes, and has gotten several nominations at other award shows that honor movies. In the category of Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role, the slot that many people assumed would go to Meryl Streep instead went to Judi Dench, for her performance in “Victoria & Abdul.”

The kidnapping drama “All the Money in the World” and the musical “The Greatest Showman” each received three Golden Globe nominations but didn’t get any SAG nominations, presumably because the movies did not screen in time for enough SAG voters to see them. According to various reports, the HFPA was the first award-show organization to see screenings of “All the Money in the World” and “The Greatest Showman,” which would explain why these movies each received three Golden Globe nominations. Meanwhile, the comedy “The Big Sick,” which was completely snubbed by the Golden Globe Awards, received two SAG Award nominations: Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, while Holly Hunter picked up a nod for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role.

Woody Harrelson in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (Photo courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Woody Harrelson has been largely ignored for award-show nominations this year, but he received a surprising SAG Awards nod for his supporting role in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.” His “Three Billboards” co-star Sam Rockwell is considered an early frontrunner to get supporting-actor awards for his role in the movie, but it’s interesting that the SAG Awards gave recognition to Harrelson’s more low-key role in “Three Billboards.”

Steve Carell of “Battle of the Sexes” and Hong Chau of “Downsizing” repeated their surprising Golden Globe nominations at the SAG Awards. They could be wild cards in the race for Oscar nominations, because both movies have otherwise lost a lot of award-show buzz since premiering at film festivals in September 2017.

TV Snubs and Surprises

Ewan McGregor and Mary Elizabeth Winstead in “Fargo” (Photo courtesy of FX)

The SAG Awards and Golden Globe Awards are much more different from each other in the TV categories. “Fargo” received several nominations for Golden Globes and Emmys, but didn’t get any SAG Award nominations this year. “Saturday Night Live” was also snubbed at the SAG Awards this year. Whereas the Golden Globes shut out “Veep,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Grace and Frankie” from getting any nominations this year, the SAG Awards showed some love by giving each show two nominations.

The “Will & Grace” revival has received SAG and Golden Globe nominations this year, but the SAG Awards gave Sean Hayes a nomination for acting on the show (the only SAG nomination for “Will & Grace” this year), while the Golden Globes gave Eric McCormack the show’s only acting nomination. The SAG Awards didn’t nominate “Will & Grace” for best ensemble in a comedy series, although “Will & Grace” is nominated for best comedy series at the Golden Globes.

Alison Brie in “GLOW” (Photo courtesy of Netflix)

Meanwhile, the wrestling comedy “GLOW” continues to get major awards recognition, having received multiple nods at the SAG Awards and Golden Globes. (Because “GLOW” premiered in June 2017, the show won’t be eligible for the Emmy Awards until 2018.) “GLOW” is the only new comedy series that premiered in 2017 that has gotten this much award-show recognition, which is a good sign that “GLOW” will also get several Emmy nominations.

“Orange Is the New Black” and “House of Cards” were completely shut out of the Golden Globes this year, but the SAG Awards did have some love left for them, by nominating female actors Uzo Aduba (“Orange Is the New Black”) and Robin Wright (“House of Cards”). In addition, the SAG Awards have once again nominated “Orange Is the New Black” for Best Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.

Sexual Harassment Fallout

Jeffrey Tambor as Maura Pfferman in "Transparent"
Jeffrey Tambor in “Transparent” (Photo courtesy of Amazon Studios)

As expected, previous SAG Award winners Kevin Spacey (“House of Cards”) and Jeffrey Tambor (“Transparent”) were not nominated for any SAG Awards this year, no doubt due to their sexual-harassment scandals. Before the scandals, Spacey and Tambor were nominated for their shows practically every year they were eligible. Spacey was fired from “House of Cards” in October 2017, while Tambor quit “Transparent” in November 2017.

Other actors who have been hit with allegations of sexual misconduct in recent months—such as Jeremy Piven, Danny Masterson, Ed Westwick and Dustin Hoffman—were not expected to be nominated for any major awards this year, although Hoffman did campaign for his role in the Netflix movie “The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected).”

Geoffrey Rush is the only actor recently accused of sexual misconduct who has not gotten any awards-show backlash because of the allegations. Rush has been nominated for a SAG Award and Golden Globe Award for his role as Albert Einstein in the Nat Geo limited series “Genius.” Rush has denied the accusations against him, and he is suing the Sydney-based newspaper The Daily Telegraph for publishing a November 2017 story alleging that he sexually harassed women.

Here is the complete list of nominations for the 2018 SAG Awards:

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

“The Big Sick”
“Get Out”
“Lady Bird”
“Mudbound”
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

Timothee Chalamet, “Call Me by Your Name”
James Franco, “The Disaster Artist”
Daniel Kaluuya, “Get Out”
Gary Oldman, “Darkest Hour”
Denzel Washington, “Roman J. Israel, Esq.”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

Judi Dench, “Victoria & Abdul”
Sally Hawkins, “The Shape of Water”
Frances McDormand, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Margot Robbie, “I, Tonya”
Saoirse Ronan, “Lady Bird”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

Steve Carell, “Battle of the Sexes”
Willem Dafoe, “The Florida Project”
Woody Harrelson,”Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Richard Jenkins, “The Shape of Water”
Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

Mary J. Blige, “Mudbound”
Hong Chau, “Downsizing”
Holly Hunter, “The Big Sick”
Allison Janney, “I, Tonya”
Laurie Metcalf, “Lady Bird”

 

TELEVISION

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

“The Crown”
“Game of Thrones”
“The Handmaid’s Tale”
“Stranger Things”
“This Is Us”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

Jason Bateman, “Ozark”
Sterling K. Brown, “This Is Us”
Peter Dinklage, “Game of Thrones”
David Harbour, “Stranger Things”
Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series

Millie Bobby Brown, “Stranger Things”
Claire Foy, “The Crown”
Laura Linney, “Ozark”
Elisabeth Moss, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Robin Wright, “House of Cards”

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

“Black-ish”
“Curb Your Enthusiasm”
“GLOW”
“Orange Is the New Black”
“Veep”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series

Anthony Anderson, “Black-ish”
Aziz Ansari, “Master of None”
Larry David, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”
Sean Hayes, “Will & Grace”
William H. Macy, “Shameless”
Marc Maron, “GLOW”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series

Uzo Aduba, “Orange Is the New Black”
Alison Brie, “GLOW”
Jane Fonda, “Grace and Frankie”
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “Veep”
Lily Tomlin, “Grace and Frankie”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

Benedict Cumberbatch, “Sherlock”
Jeff Daniels, “Godless”
Robert De Niro, “The Wizard of Lies”
Geoffrey Rush, “Genius”
Alexander Skarsgard, “Big Little Lies”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

Laura Dern, “Big Little Lies”
Nicole Kidman, “Big Little Lies”
Jessica Lange, “Feud: Bette & Joan”
Susan Sarandon, “Feud: Bette & Joan”
Reese Witherspoon, “Big Little Lies”

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series

“Game of Thrones”
“GLOW”
“Homeland”
“Stranger Things”
“The Walking Dead”

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture

“Baby Driver”
“Dunkirk”
“Logan”
“War for The Planet of the Apes”
“Wonder Woman”

2018 Screen Actors Guild Awards: Kristen Bell named first-ever host of the show

December 4, 2017

Kristen Bell
Kristen Bell (Photo by: Mike Coppola/NBCUniversal)

The following is a press release from the Screen Actors Guild:

Kristen Bell (“The Good Place,” “Frozen”) will host the 24th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday, Jan. 21, 2018, an event which is simulcast live on TNT and TBS at 8 p.m. (ET) / 5 p.m. (PT), Executive Producer Kathy Connell announced today. As the SAG Awards has never had an emcee before, Connell and the SAG Awards Committee are breaking a long-standing custom by inviting the multi-faceted actor to fill this prestigious role.

“We are delighted to have Kristen Bell as the first-ever host of the SAG Awards,” Connell said. “This has been a year in which assumptions have been challenged, stereotypes have been shattered, and precedents have been broken. We decided to capture the cultural mood by casting aside one of our own traditions, and we’re thrilled to have such a talented performer like Bell help us do so.”

“I am honored to be part of the SAG Awards, and am a little nervous about being its first-ever host,” Bell said. “I’m so glad that I’ll be in the company of my fellow actors, many of whom I’ve worked with before, so I know they’ll be warm and supportive. It’s going to be an amazing night.”

Kristen Bell currently stars as the late Eleanor Shellstrop, who may have landed in the wrong afterlife in NBC’s The Good Place, opposite Ted Danson. NBC has renewed the critically acclaimed dramatic comedy for a third season starting in 2018. Also in 2018 she will star in the Netflix comedy Like Father, with Kelsey Grammer as her titular dad. Bell then is reprising her role as Anna in the 2019 sequel to Disney’s Frozen, the highest grossing animated film of all time. She will next be seen on Dec. 10 in the ABC musical special Encore, which she also executive produced. Her extensive list of credits includes films like A Bad Moms Christmas and CHiPs, and television series such as House of Lies, Veronica Mars, and a guest-starring arc on Parks & Recreation.

Connect with the SAG Awards(R) Twitter: @imkristenbell Facebook: /KristenBell Instagram: /kristenanniebell

About the 24th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards(R)

The 24th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards(R) presented by SAG-AFTRA with Screen Actors Guild Awards, LLC will be produced by Avalon Harbor Entertainment. Inc. and will be simulcast live on TNT and TBS on Sunday, Jan. 21, 2018 at 8 p.m. (ET) / 5 p.m. (PT). TBS and TNT subscribers can also watch the SAG Awards live through the networks’ websites and mobile apps. In addition, TNT will present a special encore of the ceremony at 11 p.m. (ET) / 8 p.m. (PT). Actor(R) Nominations will be announced at the Pacific Design Center on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2017 at 10 a.m. (ET) / 7 a.m. (PT), carried live on TNT, TBS, TruTV, sagawards.tntdrama.com, truTV.com and sagawards.org, preceded by the announcement of the stunt ensemble nominations at 9:50 a.m. (ET) / 6:50 a.m. (PT) carried live on sagawards.tntdrama.com and sagawards.org. One of the awards season’s premier events, the SAG Awards(R) annually celebrates the outstanding motion pictures and television performances from the previous calendar year. Of the top industry honors presented to actors, only the SAG Awards are selected entirely by performers’ more than 160,000 peers in SAG-AFTRA. The SAG Awards was the first televised awards show to acknowledge the work of union members and the first to present awards to motion picture casts and television ensembles. For more information about the SAG Awards(R), SAG-AFTRA, TNT and TBS, visit sagawards.org/about. Connect with the SAG Awards(R) Hashtag: #sagawards Website: sagawards.org Facebook: facebook.com/sagawardsofficialpage Twitter: twitter.com/sagawards Google +: google.com/+SAGawards Instagram: instagram.com/sagawards Tumblr: sagawards.tumblr.com

2018 Screen Actors Guild Awards: Morgan Freeman will receive Life Achievement Award

August 22, 2017

Morgan Freeman

The following is a press release from SAG-AFTRA:

Morgan Freeman – Academy Award® winning actor, producer, voice actor and activist – has been named the 54th recipient of SAG-AFTRA’s highest tribute: the SAG Life Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment. Freeman will be presented the performers union’s top accolade at the 24th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® ,  which will be simulcast live on TNT and TBS on Sunday, Jan.21, 2018 at 8 p.m. (ET), 7 p.m. (CT), 6 p.m. (MT) and 5 p.m. (PT). Given annually to an actor who fosters the “finest ideals of the acting profession,” the SAG Life Achievement Award will join Freeman’s exceptional catalog of preeminent industry and public honors, which includes a Screen Actors Guild Award, an Academy Award, HFPA’s Cecil B. DeMille Award®, an AFI Lifetime Achievement Award, seven Image Awards, a Silver Berlin Bear, several Obies®, a Kennedy Center Honor, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

“I am thrilled to announce Morgan Freeman as this year’s recipient of the SAG Life Achievement Award. Some actors spend their entire careers waiting for the perfect role. Morgan showed us that true perfection is what a performer brings to the part,” said SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris. “He is innovative, fearless and completely unbound by expectations. As a chauffeur, convicted murderer, boxing gym attendant, pimp or president, Morgan fully realized every character baring their souls and showcasing their humanity. It has been a privilege to see his genius at work.”

A Life Devoted to His Art and Craft

Freeman first earned recognition for his acting skills at age 12, when he won a statewide drama competition in Mississippi. As a young actor he paid his dues in small roles, pausing only to serve in the U.S. Air Force. Theater beckoned first, then film and television.

As he breathed life into memorable characters, widespread critical acclaim came accompanied by enraptured audiences and commercial success. Freeman invariably ranks as one of the five worldwide top-grossing actors of all time, with his films having earned over $4.5 billion in cumulative ticket sales.

An Indelible Presence in Film

Freeman has earned four Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. He received the SAG Awards Actor® for his performance in the Best Picture Oscar® winning “Million Dollar Baby,” a role that also garnered him a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award and an Image Award. Two films starring Freeman are held in the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry: Unforgiven, which received four Oscars, and The Shawshank Redemption, for which Freeman received Best Actor nominations for a SAG Award, Oscar and a Golden Globe.

Among Freeman’s extensive list of credits – now nearing 100 films – another milestone is “Invictus.” His portrayal of Nelson Mandela received the National Board of Review Award for Best Actor and an Image Award along with nominations for another SAG Award, Oscar and Golden Globe. In addition, the picture was produced by Revelations Entertainment, the company Freeman and Lori McCreary co-founded in 1996 with a mission “to produce films that reveal truth” and to stay in the forefront of digital entertainment.

Other credits in that still-growing list include “Street Smart” (Freeman’s 1987 breakthrough role), “The Dark Knight,” “The Bucket List,” “Glory,” “Lean on Me,” “Se7en,” “Amistad,” “Bruce Almighty” and “Along Came a Spider.”

Further demonstrating his astonishing versatility, Freeman most recently starred in Warner Bros.’ “Going In Style,” Paramount Pictures’ “Ben-Hur,” Summit Entertainment’s “Now You See Me 2” and Focus Features’ “London Has Fallen.” Freeman’s upcoming films include Broad Green Pictures’ “Villa Capri” and Disney’s “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms.”

Integrity and Inspiration in Television

Freeman first became nationally known and loved in 1971 when he starred in the seminal Children’s Television Workshop (CTW) show “The Electric Company,” for which he created characters including the iconic Easy Reader. Known as the most popular instructional show on television over its six-year run, the series won an Emmy® for Outstanding Children’s Series and a Grammy® for its soundtrack album. Freeman’s indelible impact on a generation was reflected when fellow cast member Rita Moreno, a life-long friend he met on the show, asked that he presented her with the 50th SAG Life Achievement Award.

Most recently, Freeman is an executive producer with McCreary on the Revelations Entertainment series “Madam Secretary” for CBS, which will air its fourth season starting in October. Freeman hosts and is an executive producer for the Revelations Entertainment, three-time Emmy nominated series “Through the Wormhole” with Morgan Freeman, which recently completed its seventh season for the Science Channel. Also through Revelations, he hosted the Emmy-nominated event series “The Story of God” with Morgan Freeman on the National Geographic Channel, which completed its second season. Through Revelations, he will next host “The Story of Us with Morgan Freeman,” which premieres October 11 on the National Geographic Channel.

A Respected, Trusted Voice

Freeman’s is one of the world’s most recognizable and beloved voices. He most recently narrated “The C Word,” the latest in a string of prestigious documentaries that includes the IMAX film Island of “Lemurs: Madagascar,” Science Channel’s “Stem Cell Universe with Stephen Hawking,” and the informative IMAX feature “We the People.” Three previous narrations are the Peabody Award winning ESPN 30 For 30 documentary “The 16th Man” and two Academy Award-winning documentaries, “The Long Way Home” and “The March of the Penguins.”

He could also be heard in the presidential campaigns for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. In a lighter vein, Freeman was the overwhelming choice when Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg asked the millions of Facebook users what voice Zuckerman’s smart home system should have.

Authenticity and Insight on Stage

After earlier roles in the off-Broadway stage productions of “The Niggerlovers” and the transformational all African-American production of “Hello Dolly,” Freeman’s 1978 role as “Zeke in The Mighty Gents” earned him a Drama Desk Award and a Tony Award® nomination. His arresting, moving performances went on to earn three Obie Awards even before he portrayed Hoke Colburn in Alfred Uhry’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “Driving Miss Daisy,” a role for which Freeman received an Oscar nomination when he reprised it for the Best Picture Oscar winning film of the same name. Freeman most recently trod the boards in the triumphant revival of Clifford Odets’ “The Country Girl,” directed by Mike Nichols.

Helping to Shape the Future

In 1973 Freeman co-founded the Frank Silvera Writers’ Workshop, now in its 37th season, which supports and nurtures promising African-American playwrights to ensure those voices can be heard. He additionally supports Artists for a New South Africa and the Campaign for Female Education, organizations working to create hope and better lives for countless people.

Freeman provides a boost for another group of artists on an immediately practical level. He co-owns the Ground Zero Blues Club®, which celebrates and features performances by authentic blues musicians. It’s next-door to the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, Mississippi, in the heart of the area’s rich blues heritage that Freeman loves.

In his spare time, Freeman enjoys the freedom of both sea and sky – he is a long-time sailor and has earned a private pilot’s license.

About the Life Achievement Award
Nominated and voted on by members of the SAG-AFTRA National Honors and Tributes Committee, the Life Achievement Award is bestowed for outstanding achievement in fostering the best ideals of the acting profession. The recipient of this award is a well- established performer who has contributed to improving the image of the acting profession and has a history of active involvement in humanitarian and public service endeavors.

About SAG-AFTRA
SAG-AFTRA represents more than 160,000 actors, announcers, broadcaster journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists and other professionals. SAG-AFTRA members are the faces and voices that entertain and inform America and the world. With national offices in Los Angeles and New York and local offices nationwide, SAG-AFTRA members work together to secure the strongest protections for media artists into the 21st century and beyond

About the 24th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®
The 24th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® presented by SAG-AFTRA with Screen Actors Guild Awards, LLC will be produced by Avalon Harbor Entertainment, Inc. and nationally simulcast live on TNT and TBS on Sunday, Jan. 21, 2018 at 8 p.m. (ET) / 5 p.m. (PT). Nominations will be announced on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2017.

One of the awards season’s premier events, the SAG Awards annually celebrates the outstanding motion picture and television performances from the previous calendar year. Of the top industry honors presented to actors, only the SAG Awards are selected entirely by performers’ peers in SAG-AFTRA. The SAG Awards was the first televised awards show to acknowledge the work of union members and the first to present awards to motion picture casts and television ensembles. For more information about the SAG Awards®, SAG-AFTRA, TNT and TBS, visit: sagawards.org/about

Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and ‘Hidden Figures’ team backstage at the 2017 Screen Actors Guild Awards

January 30, 2017

by Carla Hay

The 23rd Annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards took place on January 29, 2017, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

“HIDDEN FIGURES”

SAG Award win:

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

Here is what these SAG Award winners said backstage in the SAG Awards press room.

The cast of "Hidden Figures" backstage at the 2017 Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles.
The cast of “Hidden Figures” backstage at the 2017 Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW

What is the role of the artist when it comes to helping society navigate change?

Taraji P. Henson: I think the major role of an artist is to use the art that God gave you to touch and change lives because he put us here. We all look different for reason because we’re here to get along and we have to figure it out so we better damn well figure it out because no one group is better than the other. We’re all humans here to get along and make this big world go around.

Our talents may be in the arts; there may be another talent in journalism. You have a voice. There are doctors that have a voice and have power, and that’s what we’re here to do. So I think that’s what this film represents, and there’s a reason why it was made now and not two years ago, not five years ago, not 10 years ago—because the universe needed it now.

Octavia Spencer: I would footnote that and only to say sometimes we need to provide a little escapism from the realities that we are currently existing in. And this movie, I was feeling a certain kind of way, and I realized that as an actress in this film representing people who were largely under represented that we could make a difference in a way. And I think the fact that we are that the movie is resonating at the box office is saying that people are hearing the message, and they’re feeling the message

Janelle Monáe: I copy and paste everything that the incredible Taraji and Octavia said. And I’m so honored and I feel so thankful to be a part of this cast. I think the colors of us, the nuances of us that all make us unique represent a shared humanity.

And I think this film reminds us that we’ve been through harder times, we’ve been through more difficult times and we got through it back then during the segregation era, and we can get through it now. We just have to remember, in the great words of Kevin Costner, “We all pee the same color.” We really do. We’re not that damn different.

Spencer: Well, if you eat a lot of beets …

Monáe: Right and I think that’s the great thing about America. We get to come here and be our authentically unique selves, and I think that if we continue to embrace the things that make us unique even if it makes others uncomfortable, we will continue to represent those who are oftentimes un-celebrated. And these women are finally hidden no more. So I dedicate my award to Ms. Mary Jackson, the first African-American female engineer at NASA.

Jim Parsons, you’ve got four Emmys and you’ve got a Golden Globe. This is your first-ever SAG Award. What does that mean to you?

Jim Parsons: Oh, this was really, really exciting. I teared up as soon as this happened. I think people can tell when they watch the movie this was an exceptional experience to be a part of in making this, and it was exceptional be on set with everybody. It’s been even exceptional doing press with everybody. Everyone came for the right reasons, and not that you don’t on most projects, but on something about this project in particular, the focus and dedication to telling this story the best and most honest way it could be told was a reverberating through everybody and it feels that same way when we’re together tonight months and months and months after we finished it. This was just exceptionally exciting. I’ll say that.

Octavia, is your Oscar a hidden figure in your house or is it out for everyone to see it?

Spencer: Oscar and the Hasty Pudding and all the wonderful awards that I’ve been given are all out for me to see. I don’t have a lot of people at my house and very seldom home. But I think what we’re going to do is we’re going have a pot luck. Everybody’s going to bring their Oscars, I mean their SAGS, and we’re just going to we’re go celebrate tonight. This is the best award to get the ensemble award because every person was integral to the filmmaking process. I think I want to pass this off to Kirsten Dunst since she hasn’t said anything

Kirsten Dunst: I’m so jet-lagged.

Henson: She’s jet-lagged, but she has things to say.

Dunst: Do I, guys? I don’t know. Does anyone have a question? Anybody? Anybody?

Your character in “Hidden Figures” had to say things that had to be almost embarrassing for you.

Dunst: [She says jokingly] I just pretended my character was very frustrated because she was in love with Octavia so I turned it on its head so but yes, it is very uncomfortable and Octavia was just like, “Just do it just do it, baby. Just do it.” I was, “I love you.”

Henson: We laughed a lot in between takes because you know the subject matter was so like whoa. And so it required us to when Ted [Melfi, director of “Hidden Figures”] yelled “cut” we went into jokes because you have to laugh to keep from crying. I don’t understand what it is to live in times like that you know we have agencies there was women we can say what’s on our minds we can snap our fingers or roll our neck.

But you know, back then, these women didn’t have these voices and what I admire most about them and it makes me think about me in the industry do not focus on the problems. Focus on the solutions. Wallowing in muck and talking about what the problem is not moving us anywhere, what are we going to do to get past this?

Then I think that’s why this film is so timely because we find ourselves—wow, interestingly enough, 1962 again almost, right? But the beautiful thing about where we are today in 2017 is the majority of humanity is on the right side of history, so we have to celebrate that. And fear not, because if you have faith, fear and faith cannot co-exist. You’ve got to choose your side pick your battles. I choose faith.

 

Denzel Washington backstage at the 2017 Screen Actors Guild Awards

January 30, 2017

by Carla Hay

The 23rd annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards took place on January 29, 2017, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

DENZEL WASHINGTON

SAG Award win:

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

(“Fences”)

Here is what this SAG Award winner said backstage in the SAG Awards press room.

Denzel Washington at the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on January 29, 2017.
Denzel Washington backstage at the 2017 Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW

Having been involved in this project throughout its Broadway incarnation to today does that make this an extra special moment for you to win this award?

Yeah, I guess so. Seven years ago, [producer] Scott Rudin came to me with the screenplay, and I realized I hadn’t read the play. I read the play. So I called him, and said, “I want to do the play,” and that’s what we did. And we had tremendous success with it. It definitely led me to believe that we could be successful making a film.

You’re playing somebody who had in some way different kinds of challenges. How did you leap from you to him?

You don’t know my past. You don’t know my past. We’re actors. You know you don’t have to kill somebody to play a murderer. So we’re actors. You try to tap into what you can relate to be yourself or someone you love or know. And in the case of August Wilson, it’s all in a play. He’s one of the most brilliant playwrights of our time, of any time, so it’s all there. All the clues are there for you if you if you dig deep.

And because we did it first as a play, it was scary. You don’t know if it’s going to work. you don’t know if you’re going to work in it. But about the third week of rehearsal, and because I had a big part in the play, I’m working with all the actors. About the third week, Viola [Davis] showed us where she was going in that big scene. And I was like, “Oh wait a minute. Okay, I better concentrate on my stuff with her because she delivers.”

What do you think about the huge fence our president wants to build with the Hispanic world, and how many fences did you have to go through to win this award?

This is what I think: I think we as Americans better learn to unite. I think we as Americans need to put our elected officials feet to the fire and demand that they work together or they won’t get back in office. You know, this age we live in, this accelerated Information Age, we’re getting further and further apart. We’re not getting together; we’re getting further and further and further apart.

Everybody can’t be right, but I think this is an opportunity, actually. You see how people are being energized and protesting and all that but I think this is an opportunity for us to look at ourselves as a country as they are we together really and are we holding our elected officials accountable to making sure that they’re working together, not just hey you’re on your side. I win what I win. You win what you win, because this is what is happening. And God only knows where it’s going. And “Fences” was a good movie too.

Only six actors and actresses have won an Oscar three times. What would it mean to you  to join that group?

You know, this was really a surprise tonight for me. I wrote some stuff down in case we were picked for Best Ensemble. I just assumed that wasn’t getting [this award]. I’ve been at this a long time so I prepare myself for rejection early on. I was just calm, so I really was surprised and unprepared, to be honest with you. But to be chosen by your fellow actors really is an honor.

We were all the same—some of this little more famous or more money or whatever, but we all basically try to interpret roles. So yes, to be in that company … I’m somebody told me also I think there’s only six actors who had Supporting and Best Actor [Oscars], and I think I’m one of the six. So, obviously, to be in that company would be amazing.

During your speech you were emotional as you spoke about  different actors. What was it about the “Fences” cast that really touched you that made you emotional?

When I turned 60, I realized this is not the dress rehearsal. You’ll never see a U-Haul behind a hearse. You can’t take it with you. The Egyptians tried. All they got was robbed. So what are you going to do with what you have? And everybody has something different to give—some money sometimes some patience, some love, some kindness. I get more joy of giving to others.

I’m here to support Viola and all the rest of them and August [Wilson]. I’m good. I’ve won everything that you can win. Man gives the award. God gives the reward. My mother taught me that years ago. And it’s taken me a long time to understand it, but that’s where I’m at I get more joy of seeing others do well.

 

Emma Stone backstage at the 2017 Screen Actors Guild Awards

January 30, 2017

by Carla Hay

The 23rd annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards took place on January 29, 2017, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

EMMA STONE

SAG Award win:

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

(“La La Land”)

Here is what this SAG Award winner said backstage in the SAG Awards press room.

Emma Stone at the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on January 29, 2017.
Emma Stone at the 2017 Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW

You were cut off at the end of your speech. Can you finish any thoughts you had?

That’s a really good point. They just escorted me into a Porta-Potty after that literally was like, “Ooh, what just happened?” Basically, my intention was to express that what I didn’t say was that sometimes in insecure times, I go into my head and think that what I do maybe doesn’t count for anything in the world—like it’s not enough, and I’m not saving lives. And then I was thinking about the art this year, and that in a time like this for so many horrific things are happening it is so special to be part of a group of people who want to reflect what’s happening back to the world and to make people happy.

I’m paraphrasing what I said on stage and I hope it will maybe change perspectives or help people feel less alone.  And it’s giving me a lot of a lot of happiness thinking about getting to be just even one person in the cog of all of these actors and an artist that care. And obviously, we’re also citizens of this planet and of this country or not of this country, and either way it doesn’t matter. We have to speak up against injustice and we have to kick some ass. So yeah, that’s not very eloquent here either, but yeah, that general idea.

You mentioned in your speech a little something about feeling insecure sometimes, which is not something we hear actors admit to much but they succumb to it more than we think. Would that be a fair comment?

Well, I don’t want to speak for anyone outside of myself. I think that would be unfair. I’m sure there are many actors that that don’t feel insecure a lot of the time I am not necessarily one of them. But I don’t know what that has to do with being an actor or just someone that you know kind of has a little bit of neurotic wiring. And I really care very much about being better and getting better—and I don’t even mean that as an actor. I mean that as a person. So I don’t know. I can’t speak for them, but I just maybe think a little bit too much.

People are torn sometimes when they’re at an award show to talk about what’s going on in the world at the same time. You can do it in a respectful way too. Do you think it’s important when you have a forum like this and you feel the issue is important enough to talk at least somewhat about what’s going on in the world in this case?

I think that right now is an unprecedented time, so I don’t know if I would say forever yes. But I think if we’re human beings and we see injustice we have to speak up because staying silent, as they say, only really helps the oppressor. It never helps the victim.

So I think that, yes, right now I would hope that everyone that’s seeing things being done that are absolutely unconstitutional and inhumane would say something in any venue, whether it’s at school or at an award show or in their offices or online. I would hope that people would fight for what’s right and what’s fucking human. This is a time unlike any other, so it’s amazing to see people speaking up and taking action—more than anything else—taking action.

 

 

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