by
CNN
—
Without commercial interruptions or rushed acceptance speeches, Sunday’s Screen Actors Guild Awards, which were streamed on Netflix’s YouTube channel, were one of the most relaxed awards ceremonies in recent memory.
If you were among the million or so viewers who watched the show, you may have felt a little more like being in the room than being at home. Without a network or linear broadcast partner, the show felt unfiltered, with glimpses of the stars interspersed between performances and plenty of speeches sprinkled with uncensored curse words.
Sitting at a center table near the stage was Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos. The streaming giant will be in its new home at the SAG Awards next year, and Sarandos, who was very visible on Sunday, may have given a ratings-challenged award a formula for future success: keep it honest.
Awards events fade into public discourse with a few moments of genuine emotion and humor that fill social media feeds and morning talk shows. The pace of Sunday’s SAG Awards seemed to include more of them.
Here are some of the highlights of the event that you may have missed:
The cast of “Everything Everywhere All at Once” celebrated and danced for their best ensemble win, before ceding the stage to James Hong, one of the film’s stars. The 94-year-old actor spoke with humor and heart about his long career in an industry where he faced much discrimination.
“My first movie was with Clark Gable, but back in those days, these guys played the lead role with their eyes pressed up, and they talked like this,” Hong said, mimicking the offensive accent that was written for Asian characters at the time. “The producer said the Asians weren’t good enough and they (were) not the box office, but look at us now.”
“I hope to come back when I’m 100 years old,” Hong said.
Cameras caught “Elvis” star Austin Butler offering his hand to help escort some dignitaries like Sally Field and Jennifer Coolidge to the stage.
His “sweet” chivalry didn’t go unnoticed on Twitter.
Deadpan duo Aubrey Plaza and Jenna Ortega had one of the funniest presentations. The two wondered rhetorically why they were brought together to present the award for best male actor in a TV movie or mini-series.
“We should find the people who did this,” Plaza said, before Ortega came in and the two spoke together, “and curse their families, and see how their luck follows blood for the seven generations to come.”
Dark comedy gold.
“Abbott Elementary” creator and star Quinta Brunson was among the various actors who threw a few well-timed curse words on stage.
“They’re the best, and they’re so funny all the time, y’all,” Brunson said of his sitcom cast.
“I’m all in awe at every turn and we just want to say thank you and (it’s) an honor to be in the category with great shows with great actors, our peers,” Brunson continued. “The peer award is different though, isn’t it? I feel good… So, thank you!”
We didn’t miss the beeps.
Brendan Fraser, who won best performance by a leading actor for his role in “The Whale,” was one of several winners who gave a poignant acceptance speech that moved the audience to tears along with him.
“He’s a person with a lot of regrets, but he’s in a sea of hope, and I was at that sea and I was riding that wave,” Fraser said of his character in the film. “To all the actors out there who have gone through that or are going through that, I know how you feel. But believe me, if you hang in there and put one foot in front of the other, you’ll get where you need to go.”
The historic victory of Ke Huy Quan and Michelle Yeoh as the first Asian actresses to win their respective categories brought excitement to the room and brought the crowd to its feet.
Co-star Jamie Lee Curtis acknowledged her “nepo child” privilege as the daughter of two actors during her acceptance speech for best supporting actress, but it’s hard to fault the success when it’s warmly welcomed.
“I know that not so many people in our industry who are actors get this job, and you look at nights like this and you think, ‘Will that ever be possible for me?’ And I know you look at me and think ‘nepo baby’, that’s why she’s there, and I totally get it,” said Curtis. “But the reality is that I’m 64 years old, and this is just amazing.”
