14 DAY TRIAL // The Screen Actors Guild Awards 2015 wrapped up some hours ago at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, with some of the biggest names in film and television coming out to celebrate outstanding achievements in their respective fields.
Though considered less “mainstream” than the Golden Globes that precede them by a couple of weeks, the SAGs are regarded as the surest indicator for next month’s Academy Awards, best known as the Oscars, aka the biggest distinction in showbiz.
However, unlike the Oscars, the SAGs also honor accomplishment in television, with series like “Orange Is the New Black” and “Downton Abbey” being the biggest winners of the night.
Big winners in film, future Oscar winners
As noted above, the winners in film at the SAGs are now considered the safest bets for the Oscars 2015 next month, so that means that the likes of Julianne Moore, J.K. Simmons, Patricia Arquette and Eddie Redmayne must be rehearsing their acceptance speeches already.
“Birdman” took home the award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, beating rivals “Boyhood” (another big Oscar favorite), “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “The Imitation Game” and “The Theory of Everything,” which positions it as a very strong favorite for Best Picture at the upcoming gala.
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role did not go to Michael Keaton for the same movie, but to Eddie Redmayne for his take on Stephen Hawking in “The Theory of Everything.” The female counterpart of this award went to Julianne Moore for his role as a linguist struggling with early Alzheimer’s in “Still Alice.”
The awards for Supporting roles went to Patricia Arquette for “Boyhood” and J.K. Simmons for “Whiplash.” At this point, not having these two win Oscars for their brilliant performances would be the biggest surprise of the awards season.
“Unbroken,” Angelina Jolie’s latest directorial effort and one of the biggest snubs of the awards season, according to some, took home the SAG award for Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture, a category in which it went up against her husband’s most recent film, “Fury,” from director David Ayer.
Below is the complete list of winners: check it out to see if your favorite won anything, and keep an eye on this space for full SAGs 2015 coverage.
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture: “Birdman” Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role: Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything” Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role: Julianne Moore, “Still Alice” Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role: J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash” Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role: Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood” Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture: “Unbroken” Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series: “Downton Abbey” Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series: “Orange Is the New Black” Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series: Kevin Spacey, “House of Cards” Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series: Viola Davis, “How To Get Away With Murder” Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series: William H. Macy, “Shameless” Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series: Uzo Aduba, “Orange is the New Black” Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries: Mark Ruffalo, “The Normal Heart” Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries: Frances McDormand, “Olive Kitteridge” Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series: “Game of Thrones”