Oppenheimer has increased its chances of an Oscars clean sweep by triumphing at the SAG Awards. Named after the Screen Actor's Guild, they of last year's Hollywood-breaking strike, the awards are often seen as a forerunner of imminent Oscars success.
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Oppenheimer wins the top SAG prize
Oppenheimer walked away with Cast in a Motion Picture, Male Actor in a Leading Role (awarded to Cillian Murphy) and Male Actor in a Supporting Role (Robert Downey Jr.).
The prize for best film cast is seen as the top honour at the SAG Awards in the absence of a Best Picture category. Accepting the award on behalf of the cast, Sir Kenneth Branagh, who appears in the film, said they were all "grateful, humbled and proud".
Acknowledging that Oppenheimer's July 2023 premiere was interrupted by the onset of the strike, Branagh added: "We went from the red carpet, we didn't see the film that night, we happily went in the direction of solidarity with your good selves, so this is a full circle moment for us."
Murphy and Downey Jr capitalise on their successes at the Oscars and the BAFTAs. They're now the frontrunners to win the equivalent prizes at the 96th Academy Awards, which gets underway on Sunday, March 10th.
In his acceptance speech, Murphy said: "Twenty-eight years ago when I was trying to become an actor, I was a failed musician, and I felt extremely like an interloper, but looking out on all of you guys here today, I know I'm part of something truly wonderful, so thank you so much."
Lily Gladstone's surprise win evens out the race for Best Actress
If you thought Poor Things star Emma Stone had the Oscars Best Actress trophy sewn up, then think again. Killers of the Flower Moon star Lily Gladstone was the recipient of the SAG award for Actress in a Leading Role, and this has likely narrowed the Academy Awards odds to a 50/50 split between the two performers.
"It's truly a gift that we get to do this for a living," Gladstone said in her acceptance speech. "That's the win, getting to be here, getting to be on set, getting to tell stories. We bring empathy into a world that so needs it."
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Da'Vine Joy Randolph emerges as the clear favourite for Best Supporting Actress
The Holdovers scene-stealer Da'Vine Joy Randolph has already claimed the Supporting Actress trophy at the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs. She now cements her position by winning the SAG award for Actress in a Supporting Role and is now the pack leader to win the Oscar.
"I wake up every day overwhelmed with gratitude to be a working actor," Randolph said. "In what other profession are people able to live so many lives and touch so many hearts of those they have never gotten to meet?"
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