Everything Everywhere All at Once reigned supreme at this year’s Screen Actors Guild awards, winning four major awards and breaking the record for most wins for a single film.
The multiverse fantasy film picked up the night’s biggest award for ensemble in a motion picture, female actor for Michelle Yeoh and both supporting actor awards, for Jamie Lee Curtis and Ke Huy Quan.
“I think if I speak, my heart will explode,” Yeoh said at the start of her emotional speech. She said she was up against “titans”, referring to competition from Oscar winners Cate Blanchett and Viola Davis. “This is not just for me, this is for every girl who looks like me,” she said. “Thank you for giving me a seat at the table.”
In a tearful acceptance speech, Quan spoke about being the first Asian man to win an individual award in any film category in the history of the SAG awards. He said the moment no longer belonged to him, but to everyone who “asked for change”.
“I love actors, I love acting, I love the job we get to do,” Curtis said on stage. “I know you look at me and you think ‘nepo baby’, and that’s why she’s there and I totally get it. But the truth of the matter is that I’m 64 years old and this is totally amazing.”
With four wins, Everything Everywhere All at Once has broken the record for most SAG awards by any single film ever; just four films have won three since the awards began in 1995.
The winner of outstanding actor in a film was Brendan Fraser for The Whale, beating out fellow nominees including Colin Farrell and Austin Butler.
The cast of HBO’s The White Lotus won for ensemble in a drama series, while Jennifer Coolidge won outstanding female actor in a drama series. “This was the best job I ever had,” said actor F Murray Abraham, before sending out a prayer to earthquake victims in Syria and those dealing with conflict in Ukraine.
The cast of Abbott Elementary brought home the award for ensemble in a comedy series. “To be a part of this ensemble makes me a better actor every day,” said creator and lead Quinta Brunson. It was the first network show to win this award for nine years.
Jason Bateman won outstanding male actor in a drama series for his performance in the final season of Ozark, while The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White won for male actor in a comedy series after also winning the Golden Globe, becoming the youngest ever winner at 32.
Jean Smart was named best female actor in a comedy series for Hacks but was unable to attend. This week, Smart announced that she is recovering from a successful heart procedure.
Jessica Chastain won for female actor in a television movie or limited series for George and Tammy, after winning last year for her big screen role in The Eyes of Tammy Faye. “I share this with Michael Shannon, who I believe is one of our greatest living actors,” she said in her speech, before paying tribute to Philip Seymour Hoffman, whom she called an inspiration.
Sam Elliott was the surprise winner of outstanding actor in a television movie or limited series for Yellowstone prequel 1883, beating out Steve Carell, Evan Peters, Paul Walter Hauser and Taron Egerton. Elliott called it “the most meaningful acknowledgment” of his 55-year career.
This year’s recipient of the life achievement award was Sally Field, presented by her The Amazing Spider-Man co-star Andrew Garfield. Field said acting was the “the one place I could be freely me”, adding that while it has not always been an easy career, “easy is overrated”.
“In all of these almost 60 years there is not a day that I don’t feel quietly thrilled to call myself an actor,” she said.
Everything Everywhere All at Once has won several major awards in the lead-up to the Academy Awards, including the Producers Guild award for best picture and best director at the Directors Guild awards. It leads the nominations for this years Oscars, which will take place on 12 March.
