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THE IRISH-DIRECTED Room received a major boost overnight as Brie Larson picked up the best actress award for her role in the movie at the Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles.
The American actress described her young co-star Jacob Tremblay as “my inspiration” in her speech. She also thanked director Lenny Abrahamson and screenwriter Emma Donoghue, who adapted the script from her own novel.
Larson is also Oscar-nominated for Room, which is in the running for a total of four awards ahead of the 28 February ceremony.
Abrahamson is also up for Best Director, Donoghue is nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay – and the movie’s also in the running for Best Film.
Spotlight, a drama about sexual abuse in the Catholic church in Boston, won the top prize at the awards, landing the gong for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture.
The ceremony also saw black actors score major wins.
The awards, seen as a bellwether of the Oscars, were being closely watched amid the controversy over the lack of diversity in this year’s list of nominees.
Leonardo DiCaprio won the best actor prize for The Revenant, while Idris Elba scooped two awards – one for best supporting actor for Netflix’s Beasts of No Nation, and one for best actor in a TV series for his role as a detective in Luther.
Diversity
“Welcome to diverse TV,” joked Elba, who was passed over for an Oscar nomination, as he presented an award during the ceremony at LA’s Shrine Auditorium.
Uzo Aduba took home the award for outstanding actress in a comedy series for her role as Suzanne ‘Crazy Eyes’ Warren in Netflix’s prison comedy-drama Orange is the New Black. The TV series also won for the second consecutive year for best comedy ensemble.
“Look at this stage, this is what we talk about when we talk about diversity – different race, color, creed, sexual orientation,” actress Laura Prepon, who plays Alex Vause in the series, told the audience, referring to the #OscarsSoWhite controversy.
Viola Davis meanwhile won best actress for legal drama series How to Get Away With Murder, while Queen Latifah won for outstanding actress in a television movie or miniseries for her role in HBO’s Bessie, a biopic of the blues singer Bessie Smith.
“We’ve become a society of trending topics,” Davis told reporters backstage after her win.
Includes reporting from AFP.
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The real problem for black movies is not a ‘racist’ industry.
It’s the subject matter.
Black people need to step outside the hood for a minute and realise they’re living on a large planet in the solar system with a multitude of cultural diversity.
Try engaging with the rest of humanity in an artistic sense and people will respond.
Murder, mayhem and crack cocaine become tediously one dimensional after a while.
Idris Elba just won the SAG for portraying an African warlord.
Creed is about a well off black man who follows his father into boxing. Written and directed by a talented black filmmaker.
Will Smith plays a Nigerian doctor who was responsible for an important medical discovery in Concussion.
So there’s that.
But being a dick is a good option too.
Have to agree. Will Smith for concussion is exactly the point – he deserved at least a nomination.
James, which performance would his have replaced?
You’re racist.
Great film. The boy in particular is outstanding.
Idris Elba wasn’t overlooked for an Oscar nomination, films on Netflix don’t meet the criteria for the Oscars and never receive nominations.
It did this year though they showed it in an LA cinema for the few weeks. I don’t think the Academy will ever give a Netflix movie a nod. It was an outstanding movie
It won’t be the last great film that won’t get a nod but that’s the Oscars for you. He’s brilliant in everything so I’ve no doubt his time will come.
The Chinese will also be up in arms. No nominations for the Oscars for years!
Brie’s dress looks like she was in a scrap before she went on stage.
Sexy though.
It’s all about ‘The Dress’.
The boy in this should be nominated! He was outstanding in it. Really enjoyed the film. Not often does a film live up to the book, but this did.
I’d have happily swapped out Stallone for Jacob Tremblay. He’s the least deserving in the category and will probably win it.
Hes too white and Kayne will be upset
have your say