It’s ‘Oppenheimer’ night out at SAG Awards; ‘Bear’, ‘Succession’ win too

LOS ANGELES — The recently held 30th edition of the annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards celebrated some of the standout performances of the year in Hollywood.

‘Oppenheimer’, which stars Cillian Murphy in the titular role, dominated the award ceremony as it won the honours for best cast, as well as statues for Cillian Murphy’s lead performance and Robert Downey Jr.’s supporting work, reports ‘Variety’.

The drama about J. Robert Oppenheimer and the development of the atomic bomb was an unexpected box office hit last summer and is considered a top contender for next month’s Academy Awards.

As per ‘Variety’, the cast of ‘Succession’ was named best ensemble in a drama series for successfully pulling off their final season of familial power-grabbing and back-stabbing, while ‘The Bear’, which gives an insight into the restaurant life, earned a best comedy series ensemble prize.

During the ceremony many of the winners spoke frankly about the struggles and sacrifices that characterise a life in the arts.

‘The Crown’ star Elizabeth Debicki won the leading actress in a drama series for her portrayal of Princess Diana, while Pedro Pascal was a surprise winner for his performance as the survivor of a zombie apocalypse in ‘The Last of Us’.

‘Succession’ stars Kieran Culkin and Sarah Snook had been heavily favoured to win, and even Pascal seemed stunned by his victory. “I’m a little drunk,” he said. “I thought I could get drunk”.

Debicki also admitted that she did not expect to hear her name being called and hadn’t prepared a speech. Other winners felt preordained. Jeremy Allen White, who plays the brilliant and troubled chef at the centre of ‘The Bear’ was named best actor in a comedy series for a second consecutive year.

Ayo Edebiri won best leading actress in a comedy for her role as a sous-chef with larger culinary aspirations.

Barbra Streisand gets SAG Lifetime Achievement Award & standing ovation

The Oscar and Grammy-winning actress-singer Barbra Streisand was feted with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the recently concluded 30th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards.

“This is such a wonderful award to get because you know in advance you’re going to get it. You don’t have to sit there in a squirm… And if you don’t have to put on such a happy face, ‘I’m so happy to lose!’ Anyway, you all know what I mean”, the legend joked, reports ‘Variety’.

Streisand expressed joy, and revealed that she was proud to be a SAG-AFTRA member for over 60 years, “I can’t believe it. I remember dreaming of being an actress as a teenager, sitting in my bed in Brooklyn with a pint of coffee ice cream and a movie magazine”.

As per ‘Variety’, she dedicated her lifetime achievement speech to the actors among her in the auditorium. “And most of all, I want to thank you for giving me so much joy, just watching all of you on the screen”, she said while clapping out to the crowd.

Actress Anne Hathaway stood in awe as Streisand recalled watching “the most beautiful actor” and her “first crush” Marlon Brando in the 1954 ‘Guys and Dolls’.

“He was so real, so believable,” she said. “And I wanted to be the one he fell in love with, not Jean Simmons”.

‘Friends’ star Jennifer Aniston, who is Streisand’s longtime friend, presented Streisand with her award in front of the star-studded room.

“Barbara, that’s all you have to say and you know”, Jennifer said. “That face, that voice, that talent. It is a once-in-a-lifetime talent and how lucky that it is in our lifetime”.

Aniston pointed out that perhaps this whole night was written in fate, as the Shrine was the home of Streisand’s first major concert in 1963, “on this very stage right here”.

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture: ‘Oppenheimer’

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role: Cillian Murphy in ‘Oppenheimer’

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role: Lily Gladstone for ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role: Robert Downey Jr. for ‘Oppenheimer’

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role: Da’Vine Joy Randolph for ‘The Holdovers’

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series: ‘Succession’

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series: ‘The Bear’

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series: Pedro Pascal for ‘The Last of Us’

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series: Elizabeth Debicki for ‘The Crown’

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series: Ayo Edebiri for ‘The Bear’

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series Brett Goldstein: Jeremy Allen White for ‘The Bear’

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series: Ali Wong for ‘Beef’

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series: Steven Yeun for ‘Beef’

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series: ‘The Last of Us’

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture: ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’

Also read: BAFTA Awards: Best film for ‘Oppenheimer’; top honours for Cillian Murphy, Emma Stone