The Screen Actors Guild Awards are going down, with Kristen Bell hosting. The first award, for outstanding male performance in a comedy, went to William H. Macy of Showtime’s Shameless. Macy expressed his love for his wife, Felicity Huffman, and his admiration for the fellow actors in his category.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus won for outstanding female performance in a comedy for her work on HBO’s Veep. Louis-Dreyfus could not attend the event.
Best ensemble in a comedy series went to the cast of Veep, their first win at the SAG Awards.
Outstanding performance by an actor in a television movie or limited series went to Alexander Skarsgard of Big Little Lies on HBO. “I am shocked, I’m humbled,” he said, also copping to some embarrassment.
SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris then stepped to the podium and spoke out against harassment and discrimination in the industry. “Truth is power, and women are stepping into their power,” she said.
Outstanding performance by a female actor in a television movie or limited series was handed to Nicole Kidman of Big Little Lies, her first SAG win. Laura Dern and Reese Witherspoon were also nominated for Big Little Lies.
“I’m incredibly nervous because this is reality colliding with fantasy,” said Kidman, admitting to a case of the flu.
She referred to Dern and Witherspoon as “beyond talented acting partners,” and saluted the other actors in the category for their “trailblazing performances.”
Kidman also applauded the industry for allowing women of a certain age to tell their stories.
Morgan Freeman was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by SAG, with Rita Moreno presenting. "These moments in one’s life usually call for an entire litany of thank you’s,” said Freeman. “I can’t do that because I don’t know all of your names.”
Freeman did single out SAG-AFTRA for the “enormous honor.”
“This is beyond honor,” he added. “This is a place in history.”
Best male actor in a drama was awarded to Sterling K. Brown of NBC’s This Is Us.
“What a blessing it is to do what you love for a living,” he said. “What an honor it is to be recognized by your peers for a job well done.”
He saluted the cast of This Is Us. “You guys feed me day in day out,” said Brown.
Outstanding performance by a female actor in a drama went to Claire Foy from Netflix’s The Crown. Foy was not at the event.
Outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama was given to NBC’s This Is Us. “We are just a small collection of a lot of very talented, very hard working people who work on this show,” said Milo Ventimiglia, who singled out creator Dan Fogelman.
Ventimiglia also thanked fans who tune in each week to a “show that reflects positivity and hope and inclusion.”
