Parasite Makes History at the SAG Awards

Korean thriller Parasite made history at the 26th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards last night, becoming the first foreign-language film to win Best Motion Picture Cast. Parasite is just the second foreign language film to score an ensemble nomination in the history of the SAG Awards, following the 1997 Italian movie Life Is Beautiful.

In another streaming stride, Netflix’s The Crown nabbed Best TV Drama and Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel took home Best TV Comedy.

In a repeat of the Golden Globes, Renee Zellweger (Judy) and Joaquin Phoenix (Joker) won for their leading film roles, while Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) and Jennifer Aniston (The Morning Show) surprised with their drama series victories. Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag) and Tony Shalhoub (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) took home trophies in their comedy series categories.

Other highlights from the show:

The SAG Awards remained hostless but Eugene and Dan Levy bookended the awards by presenting the first award and kicking the “I Am an Actor” segment up a notch.

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During Brad Pitt’s acceptance speech for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role for Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, the actor joked about how his character in the film “was a difficult part. The guy who gets high, takes his shirt off and doesn’t get on with his wife.” After cracking the joke, a camera panned to his ex-wife Jennifer Aniston, who smiled lovingly and clapped. “I’ve got to add this to my Tinder profile,” Pitt joked at the start of his speech, referring to the statuette. Following Pitt’s acceptance speech, the actor was spotted backstage watching Aniston accept her own prize for The Morning Show – marking the first win for fledgling programming service Apple TV+.

Heath Ledger received a heartfelt shout out from Joaquin Phoenix as the “Joker” star accepted the award for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role. Ledger famously portrayed the comic book villain in 2008’s “The Dark Knight” and won numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and a SAG Award. With his win, Phoenix, an Oscar nominee, is on the way to collecting the same trio of awards for the role. “Really, I’m standing here on the shoulders of my favorite actor, Heath Ledger,” he said. Ledger died in 2008 from an accidental overdose. He was 28.

The ceremony speeches were mostly more personal than political. That changed briefly when Robert De Niro accepted his award, giving defense to actors wading into the public arena, offering no apology for having “a bigger voice” because of his stardom, noting, “As a citizen, I have as much right as anybody … to voice my opinion.”

SAG-AFTRA Foundation president Courtney B. Vance announced that Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg had pledged a $250,000 matching donation to the foundation in response to Vance’s call to raise an addition $1.5 million for the national nonprofit organization.

SAG Award Winners include:

Movies

• Best Ensemble: “Parasite”
• Best Actor: Joaquin Phoenix, “Joker”
• Best Actress: Renee Zellweger, “Judy”
• Best Supporting Actor: Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
• Best Supporting Actress: Laura Dern, “Marriage Story”
• Best Stunt Ensemble: “Avengers: Endgame”

Television

• Best Drama Ensemble: “The Crown”
• Best Drama Actor: Peter Dinklage, “Game of Thrones”
• Best Drama Actress: Jennifer Aniston, “The Morning Show”
• Best Comedy Ensemble: “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
• Best Comedy Actor: Tony Shalhoub, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
• Best Comedy Actress: Phoebe Waller-Bridge, “Fleabag”
• Best Movie/Mini Actor: Sam Rockwell, “Fosse/Verdon”
• Best Movie/Mini Actress: Michelle Williams, “Fosse/Verdon”
• Best Stunt Ensemble: “Game of Thrones”
• Life Achievement Award: Robert De Niro