On March 1, the Actor Awards, formerly known as the SAG Awards, took place in Los Angeles, California. The Actor Awards is different from other award shows because the voting is done only by the 160,000 other members in the SAG-AFTRA union.
The hit vampire movie “Sinners” went home with 2 awards for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture and Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role, won by actor Micheal B. Jordan. Jordan accepted this award by saying that he “wasn’t expecting this at all”. In his speech he also highlighted all of the sacrifices his mother made for him by saying that he was grateful for all the times she drove him to New York for acting classes.
The critically acclaimed HBO medical drama “The Pitt” went home with 2 awards for Best Drama Series Ensemble and Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Drama Series for Noah Wyle. Wyle was very excited to accept this award alongside his co-stars by saying that he has “never been more proud of a group of people in my life” and that they are the most hardworking cast. Noah Wyle also accepted the Best Actor award for his role as Dr. Robby in “The Pitt.” He shared with the audience that he has had his SAG-AFTRA card in his wallet for the last 36 years. He also shared that he “loves being an actor” and “I’m so grateful.”
One heartwarming moment of the night was when Harrison Ford accepted the SAG-AFTRA Life Achievement Award. He gave a very beautiful speech and shared how much his career has meant to him. He said that he’s “incredibly grateful for this kind of attention, but to be clear I also am quite humble.” He also shared some of his humor by adding that it’s “weird to be getting a Lifetime Achievement Award at the half-point of my career.” Another heartwarming moment is when Catherine O’Hara won Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series for her role in “The Studio.” O’Hara died this past January at age 71. When it was announced that she won, the entire audience gave a standing ovation. Seth Rogen accepted the award on behalf of O´Hara, as he directs and stars in “The Studio.”
Seth Rogen took home Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series for his role in “The Studio.” He brought out his castmate Ike Barinholtz and joked that he “hoped my ego was strong enough to withstand losing to Ike.” Keri Russell took home the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actress in a Drama series for “The Diplomat” and was in awe when she won. Jessie Buckley won Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for the film “Hamnet.” She thanked her co-star Emily Watson for always giving “the best advice”. Amy Madigan won Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role for her scary performance as Aunt Gladys in the movie “Weapons.” She accepted the award while recreating the “Weapons” run during her acceptance speech.
The Actor Awards shine a spotlight on all the outstanding performances in film and television. It is a huge honor to receive this award as it is voted and given to them by their peers. The 98th Annual Oscar Awards are coming up on March 15.