Just in case you’ve had your head buried in sand somewhere… it was a big night for black actors at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, recognizing the outstanding motion picture and primetime television performances of 2015 at the 22nd Annual event which was broadcast on TNT and TBS from the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Center last night.
Or, "Welcome to diversity TV," as Idris Elba put it during his presentation for "Beasts of No Nation."
Of special note, Elba picked up two awards tonight, and made history in the process, becoming the first actor to win in 2 categories for individual performances in the same year: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role for "Beasts of No Nation," and Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries for "Luther."
As I said on Twitter, the fact that Elba is not already a Hollywood superstar, and still has to hustle for the work that he gets, creating projects for himself, is puzzling to me. He has the talent, the screen presence, huge cross-over appeal, and international awareness, plus he’s won multiple awards, women want to be with him, and men want to be him. The man should be in line for every top leading man role right now, not playing second fiddle to the likes of Nicolas Cage, Sean Penn, Charlie Hunnam, Chris Hemsworth and others. They should be playing second fiddle to him!
Let’s see what tonight’s history-making wins do for his career, if anything. As of today, all that he has on his upcoming slate are, voicing characters for 3 different animated movies, as well as an indie British drama titled "A Hundred Streets" (he’s part of an ensemble cast, so he’s not the standout star). Last month it was announced that he was the leading candidate to star in the adaptation of Stephen King’s "The Dark Tower" series – a part that was previously linked to Javier Bardem and Russell Crowe. But nothing’s been confirmed yet, so we can’t count that as a definite. But that’s it! Voicing characters in 3 animated movies; one member of an ensemble cast of a British indie; and the possibility that he might star in "The Dark Tower."
I’m sure he’s glad to at least be working and collecting paychecks, but I’m sure he’d like to be given the kinds of big-time opportunities that make careers, and allow an actor of his caliber to stretch and build. Maybe tonight’s wins will assist. We’ll see. At least he’s certainly not waiting around for things to come to him, as he continues to produce worm for himself – "Luther" for example. Although at this point, I’m surprised that the transition to the big screen for the beloved character hasn’t happened yet, even though it’s been in discussion for about 2 years now.
Other winners of note include Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries for Queen Latifah as Bessie Smith in "Bessie" (her third SAG win); Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series for Viola Davis as Annalise Keating in "How to Get Away With Murder" (her second win in a role for the same role; her third win in total); and Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series for Uzo Aduba as Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren in "Orange Is the New Black" (he second win).
The 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards presented by SAG-AFTRA with Screen Actors Guild Awards®, LLC was produced by Avalon Harbor Productions.
The complete list of recipients for the 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards follows:
THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
LEONARDO DiCAPRIO / Hugh Glass – “THE REVENANT” (20th Century Fox)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
BRIE LARSON / Ma – “ROOM” (A24)
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
IDRIS ELBA / Commandant – “BEASTS OF NO NATION” (Netflix)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
ALICIA VIKANDER / Gerda Wegener – “THE DANISH GIRL” (Focus Features)
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
SPOTLIGHT (Open Road Films)
BILLY CRUDUP / Eric MacLeish
BRIAN D’ARCY JAMES / Matty Carroll
MICHAEL KEATON / Walter "Robby" Robinson
RACHEL McADAMS / Sacha Pfeiffer
MARK RUFFALO / Michael Rezendes
LIEV SCHREIBER / Marty Baron
JOHN SLATTERY / Ben Bradlee, Jr.
STANLEY TUCCI / Mitchell Garabedian
TELEVISION PROGRAMS
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
IDRIS ELBA / DCI John Luther – “LUTHER” (BBC America)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
QUEEN LATIFAH / Bessie Smith – “BESSIE” (HBO)
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
KEVIN SPACEY / Francis Underwood – “HOUSE OF CARDS” (Netflix)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
VIOLA DAVIS / Annalise Keating – “HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER” (ABC)
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
JEFFREY TAMBOR / Maura Pfefferman – “TRANSPARENT” (Amazon)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
UZO ADUBA / Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren – “ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK” (Netflix)
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
DOWNTON ABBEY (Masterpiece/PBS)
HUGH BONNEVILLE / Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham
LAURA CARMICHAEL / Lady Edith Crawley
JIM CARTER / Charles Carson
RAQUEL CASSIDY / Baxter
BRENDAN COYLE / John Bates
TOM CULLEN / Anthony Gillingham
MICHELLE DOCKERY / Lady Mary Crawley
KEVIN DOYLE / Joseph Molesley
JOANNE FROGGATT / Anna Bates
LILY JAMES / Lady Rose MacClare
ROBERT JAMES-COLLIER / Thomas Barrow
ALLEN LEECH / Tom Branson
PHYLLIS LOGAN / Mrs. Hughes
ELIZABETH McGOVERN / Cora, Countess of Grantham
SOPHIE McSHERA / Daisy Mason
LESLEY NICOL / Mrs. Patmore
JULIAN OVENDEN / Charles Blake
DAVID ROBB / Dr. Clarkson
MAGGIE SMITH / Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham
PENELOPE WILTON / Isobel Crawley
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK (Netflix)
UZO ADUBA / Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren
MIKE BIRBIGLIA / Danny Pearson
MARSHA STEPHANIE BLAKE / Berdie Rogers
DANIELLE BROOKS / Tasha "Taystee" Jefferson
LAVERNE COX / Sophia Burset
JACKIE CRUZ / Marisol "Flaca" Gonzales
CATHERINE CURTIN / Wanda Bell
LEA DELARIA / Carrie "Big Boo" Black
BETH FOWLER / Sister Jane Ingalls
JOEL MARSH GARLAND / Scott O’Neill
KIMIKO GLENN / Brook Soso
ANNIE GOLDEN / Norma Romano
DIANE GUERRERO / Maritza Ramos
MICHAEL J. HARNEY / Sam Healy
VICKY JEUDY / Janae Watson
SELENIS LEYVA / Gloria Mendoza
TARYN MANNING / Tiffany "Pennsatucky" Doggett
ADRIENNE C. MOORE / Cindy Hayes
KATE MULGREW / Galina "Red" Reznikov
EMMA MYLES / Leanne Taylor
MATT PETERS / Joel Luschek
LORI PETTY / Lolly Whitehill
JESSICA PIMENTEL / Maria Ruiz
DASCHA POLANCO / Dayanara Diaz
LAURA PREPON / Alex Vause
ELIZABETH RODRIGUEZ / Aleida Diaz
RUBY ROSE / Stella Carlin
NICK SANDOW / Joe Caputo
ABIGAIL SAVAGE / Gina Murphy
TAYLOR SCHILLING / Piper Chapman
CONSTANCE SHULMAN / Yoga Jones
DALE SOULES / Frieda
YAEL STONE / Lorna Morello
SAMIRA WILEY / Poussey Washington
SAG AWARDS HONORS FOR STUNT ENSEMBLES
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
“MAD MAX: FURY ROAD” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series
“GAME OF THRONES” (HBO)
LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
52nd Annual Life Achievement Award
CAROL BURNETT
