The members of the Screen Actors Guild gathered last night to pay tribute to that most noble of showbiz industry professions: acting as though you are genuinely happy for the success of others, while simultaneously acting as though you are not already exhausted by the endless procession of awards shows and their by-now predictable outcomes. It was a stellar performance all around, as presenters, winners, and patient, tuxedoed bystanders alike gamely turned in believable approximations of enthusiasm.
That was even true of the non-actors working behind the scenes—most notably the sound man, whose commitment to honoring chicanery in all its forms was announced with the fake applause track he prematurely piped in, before Reese Witherspoon could announce the Best Supporting Actor winner. “What’s that noise? It wasn’t me!” Witherspoon said, ever humble before the craft.
Other ostensibly real accolades were handed out to the acting ensemble of Birdman, whose victory was matched at the weekend’s other big industry event, the Producers Guild Awards. Given that the Producers Guild is more often than not a predictor for the Best Picture winner at the Oscars, and the fact that Birdman has now dominated two of three of the major Guilds (with the Directors Guild Awards scheduled for Feb. 7), there seems to be a major last-minute boost for the film’s chances among the Academy. Or perhaps these wins will prove to be Birdman’s own premature applause track. That’s the purported fun of awards season!
In the Best Actor race, after all, it still seems to be a question of whether it will go to Michael Keaton or The Theory Of Everything’s Eddie Redmayne, and it was the latter who took home Best Actor at the SAG Awards. In fact, the only apparent locks at this point would seem to be J.K. Simmons, Patricia Arquette, and Julianne Moore, who all added to their respective hauls last night. If you wanted any surprises beyond the norm, you’d have to look to the award for Best Stunt Ensemble, which finally gave Unbroken something to put on its DVD cover.
Or you could look to television: While Kevin Spacey repeated his Golden Globes win for Best Actor In A TV Drama, the rest of the categories were full of upsets—most notably Orange Is The New Black finally ending Modern Family’s three-year winning streak to take home Best Ensemble In, Let’s Just Call It A Comedy Series, and that show’s Uzo “Crazy Eyes” Aduba also winning Best Actress over category mainstays like Julie Bowen and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
The Producers Guild agreed by giving Orange its biggest award for TV comedy, though it differed when it came to drama, with nods for Fargo and (in what may be its final hurrah) Breaking Bad as the best Long-Form and Drama series, respectively. When it came to acting, at least, the Screen Actors preferred Downton Abbey, while it also recognized How To Get Away With Murder’s Viola Davis, Shameless’ William H. Macy, The Normal Heart’s Mark Ruffalo, and Olive Kitteridge’s Frances McDormand.
The complete lists of Screen Actors and Producers Guild Awards nominees are below, with winners in bold, and fake applause inserted randomly.
SCREEN ACTORS GUILD
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Birdman Boyhood The Grand Budapest Hotel The Imitation Game The Theory Of Everything
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role Steve Carell, Foxcatcher Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler Michael Keaton, Birdman Eddie Redmayne, The Theory Of Everything
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Jennifer Aniston, Cake Felicity Jones, The Theory Of Everything Julianne Moore, Still Alice Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl Reese Witherspoon, Wild
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role Robert Duvall, The Judge Ethan Hawke, Boyhood Edward Norton, Birdman Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role Patricia Arquette, Boyhood Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game Emma Stone, Birdman Meryl Streep, Into the Woods Naomi Watts, St. Vincent
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Boardwalk Empire Downton Abbey Game Of Thrones Homeland House Of Cards
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire Peter Dinklage, Game Of Thrones Woody Harrelson, True Detective Matthew McConaughey, True Detective Kevin Spacey, House Of Cards
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series Claire Danes, Homeland Viola Davis, How To Get Away With Murder Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey Robin Wright, House of Cards
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series The Big Bang Theory Modern Family Brooklyn Nine-Nine Orange Is The New Black Veep
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series Ty Burrell, Modern Family Louis CK, Louie William H. Macy, Shameless Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series Uzo Aduba, Orange Is The New Black Julie Bowen, Modern Family Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep Amy Poehler, Parks And Recreation
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries Adrien Brody, Houdini Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock Richard Jenkins, Olive Kitteridge Mark Ruffalo, The Normal Heart Billy Bob Thornton, Fargo
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries Ellen Burstyn, Flowers In The Attic Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Honorable Woman Frances McDormand, Olive Kitteridge Julia Roberts, The Normal Heart Cicely Tyson, The Trip To Bountiful
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series 24: Live Another Day Boardwalk Empire Game Of Thrones Homeland Sons of Anarchy The Walking Dead
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture Fury Get On Up The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies Unbroken X-Men: Days Of Future Past
PRODUCERS GUILD
The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures American Sniper Birdman Boyhood Foxcatcher Gone Girl The Grand Budapest Hotel The Imitation Game Nightcrawler The Theory Of Everything Whiplash
The Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures Big Hero 6 The Book Of Life The Boxtrolls How To Train Your Dragon 2 The LEGO Movie
The David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television American Horror Story: Freak Show Fargo The Normal Heart The Roosevelts: An Intimate History Sherlock
The Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures The Green Prince Life Itself Merchants Of Doubt Particle Fever Virunga
The Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama Breaking Bad Downton Abbey Game Of Thrones House Of Cards True Detective
The Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Comedy The Big Bang Theory Louie Modern Family Orange Is The New Black Veep
The Award for Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television 30 For 30 American Masters Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown COSMOS: A SpaceTime Odyssey Shark Tank
The Award for Outstanding Producer of Competition Television The Amazing Race Dancing With The Stars Project Runway Top Chef The Voice
The Award for Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment & Talk Television The Colbert Report Jimmy Kimmel Live Last Week Tonight With John Oliver Real Time With Bill Maher The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
The Award for Outstanding Sports Program 24/7 Hard Knocks: Training Camp With The Atlanta Falcons Hard Knocks: Training Camp With The Cincinnati Bengals Inside: U.S. Soccer’s March To Brazil Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel
The Award for Outstanding Children’s Program Dora The Explorer Sesame Street Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Toy Story OF TERROR! Wynton Marsalis: A YoungArts Masterclass
The Award for Outstanding Digital Series 30 For 30 Shorts Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee COSMOS: A National Geographic Deeper Dive Epic Rap Battles Of History Video Game High School Season 3
