The 24th annual SAG awards ceremony last night saw Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri pick up three awards, all of which were presented by women as the Guild celebrated female empowerment and the fight against sexual misconduct in the film industry.
Three Billboards was the winner of the Guild’s award for Best Performance by a Cast, while both Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell won individually for their roles in the small town black comedy. In his acceptance speech, Rockwell praised the ‘long overdue’ movement against Hollywood’s sexual predators, a theme which seemed to dominate the evening.
Although the ceremony is usually without a host, Kristin Bell (Frozen, The Good Place) presented Sunday’s event. In her opening monologue, she said:
“We are living in a watershed moment and as we march forward with active momentum and open ears, let’s make sure we are leading the charge with empathy and diligence, because fear and anger never win the race.”
SAG-AFTRA’s president, Gabrielle Carteris, also came to the stage to speak about the importance of the past year.
“I am incredibly inspired by the women and men who have shared their truths with such courage and such candor,” she said. “Truth is power and women are stepping into their power.”
It was also revealed that a new code of conduct for behaviour on set will be introduced into the Guild in an effort to prevent sexual harassment in the industry.
Other winners include Claire Foy for her role as Queen Elizabeth II on Netflix series The Crown, while Gary Oldman won for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour. Sterling K. Brown became the first black man to win the Guild’s prize for Male Actor in a Drama Series for his role on This is Us, which also won best ensemble for a drama series,while political comedy Veep won best ensemble for a comedy. Its star Julia Louis-Dreyfus became the first woman to win five individual awards at the ceremony, but was unable to collect them due to her current breast cancer treatment.
Morgan Freeman received the SAG’s lifetime achievement award, accepting it after a standing ovation from the audience, and claiming it as a ‘place in history’.
A full list of this year’s winners can be found here.
Watch the opening of the ceremony below:
