We didn’t expect it, but against all the odds, the SAG Awards gave us some of the Blackest moments from this awards season so far. Here are five of the best moments of Black Excellence.
5) Geoffrey Owens steals the night
The night started off strong with The Cosby Show star Geoffrey Owens participating in the “I Am an Actor” opening skit.
As we reported earlier today, Owens was initially put on blast for working at Trader Joe’s in 2018. However, his decision to work an honest job resonated with the entire internet, especially those in entertainment professions who know about the grind. “Instead of switching careers like a sane person, I took a job at a local Trader Joe’s to see if I could hang in there with my career, and it’s actually worked out pretty well,” he said, to cheers. Owens has since been offered guest roles on OWN’s The Haves and the Have Nots and CBS’ NCIS: New Orleans.
4) Black women supporting Sandra Oh’s career
There was a lot of POC solidarity last night, and one of the most significant moments was when Sandra Oh thanked Alfre Woodard and Lena Waithe for their support over the years.
Earlier today, we showed how Oh thanked Waithe and Woodard for telling her she was already a winner and leader in their eyes.
“In 1997, she [Woodard] whispered in my ear, ‘I’m so proud of you out there. We fight the same fight,'” she said. “Jamie Foxx in 2006, he pulled me aside and said ‘Keep going.’ And in 2017, Lena Waithe, she just embraced me and said ‘You already won. It’s in the work.'”
Both of these moments helped Oh soldier on in Hollywood, leading to her biggest role yet on BBC America’s Killing Eve.
3) Black Panther wins Best Cast in a Motion Picture
We all hoped and prayed Black Panther would win the award for Best Cast in a Motion Picture, and thank Black Jesus, they did! As a Marvel blockbuster, Black Panther is the first of its kind to win the SAG Award for best cast, and this win makes a case for a Black Panther Oscar win better than any other statistic. The ball is in their court to take it all in February. At any rate, this awards season has been a great way to hype Black Panther 2.
2) Chadwick Boseman’s powerful speech about Hollywood discrimination
Chadwick Boseman invoked the late, great Nina Simone by quoting the song “To Be Young, Gifted and Black.” His speech explained to the audience the type of burden Black Panther had on its shoulders as a reflection of the talent in Black Hollywood that often goes unrecognized.
“To be young, gifted and Black, we all know what it’s like to be told that there is not a place for you to be featured, yet you are young, gifted and Black. We know what it’s like to be told that there’s not a screen for you to be featured on, a stage for you to be featured on,” he said.
“We know what it’s like to be the tail and not the head. We know what it’s like to be beneath and not above. And that is what we went to work with every day…we knew that we had something special we wanted to give the world. That we could be full human beings in the roles that we were playing. That we could create a world that exemplified a world that we wanted to see.”
And when the music started playing to rush Boseman off the stage, he hit his Heisman pose and said, “Don’t give me no music, man.” The Blackest.
1) Sterling K. Brown and Ryan Michelle Bathe’s victory handshake
Brown didn’t just win for Black Panther Sunday night; he also won as part of the ensemble of NBC’s This Is Us. When the cast won for Best Ensemble in a Drama Series, Brown and his wife, actress Ryan Michelle Bathe, celebrated with a cute victory handshake, only endearing us to them even more.
There are so many couples that people shout “GOALS” about, but Brown and Bathe represent cool couple goals. If you can develop a special handshake with your significant other, you know you and your partner are solid as a rock.
What were your favorite parts of the evening?
READ MORE:
‘Be Ready’: The Cast Of ‘Black Panther’ Teases Upcoming Sequel At SAG Awards
WATCH: Geoffrey Owens Steals Show During SAG Awards ‘I Am An Actor’ Skit
WATCH: Sandra Oh Shouts Out Alfre Woodard, Lena Waithe, Jamie Foxx In SAG Awards Acceptance Speech
