5 key takeaways from 2024 SAG Awards: Subtle performances dominate, vote-splitting is a thing …

Tariq Khan
·4 min read
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The 30th Screen Actors Guild Awards went largely according to script Saturday night on Netflix, but with just enough surprises to keep things interesting. (See the SAG winners list.) Here are five key takeaways from this year’s ceremony.

1. Subtle performances dominate film categories.
While we’ve seen quieter portrayals have greater success at the Oscars in recent years (supporting actor Mark Rylance in 2015’s “Bridge of Spies,” lead actor Casey Affleck in 2016’s “Manchester by the Sea” and lead actress Frances McDormand  in 2020’s “Nomadland”), the guild has generally still gone with flashier performances. (The three actors above lost at SAG to showier turns by Idris Elba in “Beasts of No Nation,” Denzel Washington in “Fences” and Viola Davis in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” respectively.) This year, Lily Gladstone in “Killers of the Flower Moon,” Cillian Murphy in “Oppenheimer” and Da’Vine Joy Randolph in “The Holdovers” managed to land SAG trophies for their relatively subdued acting — especially in comparison to some of their show-stopping rivals. Perhaps guild members are following the lead of the academy and realizing that less is sometimes more when it comes to fine dramatics.

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2. It helps to be in a best cast nominee when attempting to win an individual award for a film.
Gladstone overcame the heavily favored Emma Stone in “Poor Things” while Murphy notably defeated both Bradley Cooper in “Maestro” and Paul Giamatti in “The Holdovers.” The key difference? Gladstone and Murphy were both showcased in best cast vehicles while some of their biggest challengers were not. In what we believe were very tight races, their ensemble nominations arguably put both Gladstone and Murphy over the top.

3. It’s very difficult to win a lead acting film award twice.
I’m referring to that “Poor Thing” Emma Stone, who was widely expected to pick up a SAG best actress bookend to go with her trophy for 2016’s “La La Land.” The only SAG film double lead acting champions at are Daniel Day-Lewis, McDormand, Renee Zellweger and Davis. Her previous best actress statuette might have put Stone between a rock and a hard place to get.

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4. Vote-splitting can be a serious threat.
That’s what Kieran Culkin in TV’s “Succession” is undoubtedly thinking. He was competing against co-stars Brian Cox and Matthew Macfadyen, which turned out to be great news for Pedro Pascal, the unexpected recipient of best drama actor for “The Last of Us.” With Cox and Macfadyen cutting into Culkin’s support, there were just enough votes to allow Pascal to succeed.

5. Never underestimate the popularity of “The Crown.”
What must have been the biggest shocker of the night was Elizabeth Debicki being crowned best drama actress (over the heavily favored Sarah Snook in”Succession”) for her role as Princess Diana in the long-running Netflix series. No one was more taken aback than Debicki herself, who was left practically speechless at the podium. Debicki’s award marked the sixth one for the show out of an impressive 15 SAG Award nominations. Another jewel in “The Crown” — this one that nobody saw coming.

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