It's good to see them, isn't it?
On Sunday, the stars aligned inside a sprawling airplane hangar in Santa Monica, Calif. for the Screen Actors Guild Awards, the first proper awards show of 2022 after the omicron variant threw awards season into chaos.
The ceremony was chock full of historic wins: Best supporting actress victor Ariana DeBose became the first Latina in the show's 28-year history to earn a SAG Award, for her dazzling breakout in "West Side Story." Troy Kotsur also became the first deaf actor to win an individual acting honor at SAG, taking best supporting actor for his heartbreaking turn as the deaf dad of a hearing girl (Emilia Jones) in "CODA."
His warm and witty acceptance speech is the sort of moment that awards shows are made for, and it's likely that voters will want to get him back on stage at the Oscars, where he's up against critics' favorite Kodi Smit-McPhee ("The Power of the Dog") in the supporting actor category.
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With just under a month to go until the Oscars ceremony March 27, here's how the SAG Awards shook up this year's race:
It's game, set, match for Will Smith
Start engraving his statue now: Will Smith has been the presumed best actor frontrunner all season for his towering yet tender performance as Richard Williams – determined dad to tennis legends Venus and Serena – in biopic "King Richard." For a second, it seemed like fellow nominees Andrew Garfield ("tick, tick…BOOM!") or Benedict Cumberbatch ("The Power of the Dog") had a shot at overtaking him, given how aggressively they've been campaigning.
But never underestimate star power: Smith exuded plenty of it in his wonderful speech at SAG Sunday, which was gracious, funny and genuinely appreciative as he teared up at the podium. His fellow best actor nominee, Denzel Washington ("The Tragedy of Macbeth"), even gave him a standing ovation.
Since 2000, the best actor SAG and Oscar winners have overlapped 15 out of 21 times, with the late Chadwick Boseman (a SAG winner for "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom") shockingly losing to Anthony Hopkins ("The Father") at last year's Oscars. But Smith has been Oscar-nominated in the category twice before, for 2001's "Ali" and 2006's "The Pursuit of Happyness," and has the narrative of a beloved A-lister overdue for recognition. And according to The Hollywood Reporter, the Williams sisters have booked a slew of TV appearances to promote "King Richard" as it enters the awards season homestretch, which will surely bring new eyeballs to the film before voting starts March 17.
SAG Awards 2022: 'CODA' wins for best cast, Will Smith and Jessica Chastain take top honors
Jessica Chastain usurps Nicole Kidman in the best actress race
Jessica Chastain looked as surprised as many of us as she excitedly accepted SAG's best actress trophy for "The Eyes of Tammy Faye," a biopic about disgraced televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker. Many Oscar pundits had predicted Nicole Kidman ("Being the Ricardos") would take home the statue, given that "Ricardos" has gotten more love in major Oscar categories this season, with a best actress nod for Kidman, as well as noms for best actor (Javier Bardem) and best supporting actor (J.K. Simmons). Aside from Chastain's Oscar nomination,"Tammy" only has one other nod, for best makeup and hairstyling.
But actors love a transformation, and Chastain slathers on heavy prosthetics and a thick Minnesota accent to play the larger-than-life Bakker. The film is also a passion project for Chastain, a three-time Oscar nominee, who tried to get "Tammy" made for nearly a decade and serves as a producer.
Chastain is now in the lead to win the best actress Oscar, which – like best actor – has lined up with SAG 15 of the last 21 years. That said, we could have a repeat of last year, where a different actress won at every awards show before Frances McDormand ("Nomadland") took the Oscar. Kristen Stewart ("Spencer") is favored for a best actress win at the upcoming Critics Choice Awards, while neither she, nor Chastain and Kidman, are even nominated in the category at the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs).
Further muddying things, none of this year's best actress nominees are from a best picture contender. So there's a strong chance we won't know where exactly this race is headed until the envelope is opened on Oscar night.
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Could 'CODA' win best picture?
Marlee Matlin – the Oscars' first and only deaf acting winner (for 1986's "Children of a Lesser God") – delivered an effusive and powerful speech about deaf representation as she accepted SAG's best ensemble award, the show's best picture equivalent, with her "CODA" co-stars. She was greeted by thunderous cheers and a standing ovation – signaling a ton of love for the film from actors, the academy's largest branch.
The SAG ensemble award marked a turning point in the Oscar race for past underdogs "Birdman," "Spotlight," "Argo" and "Parasite" on their way to winning best picture, and "CODA" will certainly jump to the top of voters' screener piles after Sunday's victories. But no film in Oscar history has ever won best picture without a best director or editing nomination since those categories were instated, and "CODA" has neither.
So where does that leave best picture? Best ensemble nominees "Belfast" and "Don't Look Up" went home empty-handed at SAG, as did "The Power of the Dog," which was snubbed in SAG's top category altogether. But if we're reading the SAG tea leaves, the Netflix Western could chart a similar trajectory as 2017's "The Shape of Water": Like "Power," "Shape" was left out of SAG's best ensemble category and only earned individual acting nominations at the show for Sally Hawkins and Richard Jenkins, neither of whom won. But even with its SAG setbacks, "Shape" still clinched Oscars for best picture, director (Guillermo del Toro), original score and production design.
"Power" is widely predicted to pick up Oscar wins for best director (Jane Campion) and adapted screenplay, among others, which could be all the ammunition it needs to make off with the top prize.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will Smith and Jessica Chastain surge in Oscar race after SAG Awards
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