On January 30, 2011, the Screen Actors Guild Awards began airing at 8:00 Eastern time. The show was blessed by the presences of reputable names in the industry like Betty White, Jon Hamm, and L.L. Cool J. The SAG president, Ken Howard, gave his positive sentiments on the future of the awards program, promising a brighter future for the show as well as actors everywhere.
The awards show began with the ceremony for best actor and actress in a drama series which was won by Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire) and Juliana Margulies (The Good Wife). The rest followed suit, all leading up to the announcement of the winner of the award for outstanding cast in a motion picture.
Outstanding Cast Performance
Nominees: Black Swan, The Fighter, The Kids Are All Right, The King's Speech, The Social Network
Analysis: The winner of the outstanding cast award was The King's Speech. A film with British origins and little marketing, it was the movie that the fewest people probably saw but enticed those who managed to see it to rank the film high on the list of 2010's best.
Outstanding Leading Male Actor
Nominees: Jeff Bridges, Robert Duvall, Jesse Eisenberg, Colin Firth, James Franco
Analysis: Colin Firth boasted his first win the the category for his performance in The King's Speech. He was previously honored for best performance by an ensemble cast for Shakespeare in Love.
Outstanding Leading Female Actor
Nominees: Annette Bening, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lawrence, Natalie Portman, Hilary Swank
Analysis: Natalie Portman won the award for best leading actress for her performance in Black Swan, the ballet themed movie that observed the duality of the human spirit. Like many others of the night, it was her first nomination and win in the category. She was also nominated for outstanding cast in Black Swan.
Outstanding Supporting Male Actor
Nominees: Christian Bale, John Hawkes, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Geoffrey Rush
Analysis: Christian Bale won the award for best supporting actor for his performance in The Fighter, the boxing biography that took a peek into the life of a family reaching the end of the line. Dickie Eklund, the character who Bale portrayed in the film, personally met the actor on stage to congratulate him on his performance. Bale also received a nomination for outstanding cast for The Fighter.
Outstanding Supporting Female Actor
Nominees: Amy Adams, Helena Bonham Carter, Mila Kunis, Melissa Leo, Hailee Steinfeld
Analysis: Melissa Leo won the award for best supporting actress for her performance in The Fighter. This year marked her first nomination for supporting actress in a film. That said, this was also her first win in the category. Leo was also nominated last year for leading female actor for Frozen River but didn't manage to take the award home.
Other Honors
Alec Baldwin, who was reputable for having the most prior nominations of all the winners tonight, took him his fifth consecutive win for 30 Rock, again ousting the fan-favorite comedic actor Steve Carell.
The prize for best female actor in a comedy series was Betty White's first nomination and win in the category; she received her recognition for her performance in Hot in Cleveland. White appeared completely stunned when the award was announced and received universal applause from all members of the audience as well as from attending actors and actresses. She claimed the award was the "biggest surprise I've ever had in this business."
Modern Family received its second nomination and first win for best ensemble comedy series.
Claire Ganes won the award for her performance in HBO's Temple Grandin over Catherine O'Hara who was also nominated for her role in the same production. The event marked Ganes's first win in the category.
Al Pacino, who could not make the presentation, won the award for his performance in the miniseries You Don't Know Jack.
The prize for best overall performance for an ensemble cast was awarded to Boardwalk Empire, a series that Mark Wahlberg couldn't resist giving a shout out to while on stage.
Ernest Borgnine, who turned 94 just last week, received recognition for his extensive and influential career in television and film. He was highly praised by both Tim Conway and Morgan Freeman and referred to as a living legend. When presented the award, Borgnine remarked that he hoped that the "privileged few chosen to work" would ensure that "our dedication to our craft will never fail."
Closing Statement
At the end of the day, The King's Speech and the associated cast took home the major awards for motion pictures with The Fighter coming in close behind. For television dramas and miniseries, the awards were evenly spread amongst the nominees.
The SAG Awards was a memorable experience that, as it always does, strove to provide actors with a place where they could be proud to perform. The two hour presentation stressed the importance of increasing the rights and recognition of actors. All who attended expressed signs that they truly enjoyed themselves.
Movie fans everywhere can expect another fantastic dose of recognitions of members of Hollywood during the Oscars next month.
Ime Atakpa - A freelance writer and author of several manuscripts, Ime studies Film at the University of Georgia.
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