- Culture
- 30 Jan 17
Last night at the Screen Actors Guild awards, winners took the opportunity to speak out against the Trump Administration.
The Screen Actors Guild Awards were last night, with the big winners being the summer hit Stranger Things and the new highly-acclaimed film Hidden Figures. The night quickly became an opportunity for winners to fire back against the Trump administration in their speeches, as Trump's new Muslim immigration ban has sparked protests nationwide. Ashton Kutcher opened the ceremonies with a welcome to “everyone in airports that belong in my America. You are a part of the fabric of who we are. And we love you, and we welcome you.”
David Harbour, accepting the "Best Cast in a TV Drama" award for Stranger Things, gave an impassioned speech against racism and exclusion, calling for artists to "battle against fear, self-centeredness and exclusivity of our predominantly narcissistic culture and through our craft to cultivate a more empathetic and understanding society... by revealing intimate truths that serve as a forceful reminder to folks that when they feel broken and afraid and tired, they are not alone."
Mahershala Ali, accepting his award for Best Supporting Film Actor, correlated his performance in Moonlight with the importance of acceptance in today's times. “What I’ve learned from working on Moonlight is, we see what happens when you persecute people,” Ali said. “They fold into themselves. And what I was so grateful about in having the opportunity to play Juan was, playing a gentleman who saw a young man folding into himself as a result of the persecution of his community, and taking that opportunity to uplift him and tell him that he mattered and that he was O.K. and accept him and, uh — I hope that we do a better job of that."
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, accepting the award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on Veep spoke about her family history. “My father fled religious persecution in Nazi-occupied France,” Ms. Dreyfus said. “I’m an American patriot. And I love this country, and because I love this country, I am horrified by its blemishes, and this immigrant ban is a blemish, and it is un-American.”
Taraji P Henson, star of Hidden Figures gave a message of love and acceptance. “When we put our differences aside and we come together as a human race, we win, love wins," she said. "Every time.”
Most speeches were politically inclined, with Emma Stone speaking about the "inexcusable and scary" actions of the Trump administration, Sarah Paulson encouraging the audience to donate to the ACLU, and Bryan Cranston, winning for his performance as Lyndon B Johnson, telling the audience what he thinks Johnson would have to say about Trump. “I honestly feel that 36 would put his arm around 45 and earnestly wish him success,” Cranston said. “And he would also whisper in his ear something he said often, as a form of encouragement and a cautionary tale: ‘Just don’t piss in the soup that all of us got to eat.’”
Check out the full list of nominees and winners below.
Best female actor in a TV comedy series
WINNER: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Uzo Aduba, Orange Is the New Black
Jane Fonda, Grace and Frankie
Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie
Ellie Kemper, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Best male actor in a TV comedy series
WINNER: William H Macy, Shameless
Anthony Anderson, Black-ish
Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent
Best cast in a TV comedy series
WINNER: Orange is the New Black
The Big Bang Theory
Modern Family
Veep
Black-ish
Best female supporting actor
WINNER: Viola Davis, Fences
Naomie Harris, Moonlight
Nicole Kidman, Lion
Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures
Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea
Best male supporting actor
WINNER: Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water
Hugh Grant, Florence Foster Jenkins
Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea
Dev Patel, Lion
Best female actor in a TV movie or miniseries
WINNER: Sarah Paulson, The People v OJ Simpson: American Crime Story
Bryce Dallas Howard, Black Mirror
Felicity Huffman, American Crime
Audra McDonald, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill
Kerry Washington, Confirmation
Best male actor in a TV movie or miniseries
WINNER: Bryan Cranston, All the Way
Riz Ahmed, The Night Of
Sterling K Brown, The People v OJ Simpson: American Crime Story
John Turturro, The Night Of
Courtney B Vance, The People v OJ Simpson: American Crime Story
Best male actor in a TV drama series
WINNER: John Lithgow, The Crown
Sterling K Brown, This Is Us
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Rami Malek, Mr Robot
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards
Best female actor in a TV drama series
WINNER: Claire Foy, The Crown
Millie Bobby Brown, Stranger Things
Thandie Newton, Westworld
Winona Ryder, Stranger Things
Robin Wright, House of Cards
Best cast in a TV drama series
WINNER: Stranger Things
The Crown
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
Westworld
Best female actor
WINNER: Emma Stone, La La Land
Amy Adams, Arrival
Emily Blunt, The Girl on the Train
Natalie Portman, Jackie
Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins
Best male actor
WINNER: Denzel Washington, Fences
Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge
Ryan Gosling, La La Land
Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic
Best ensemble performance
WINNER: Hidden Figures
Captain Fantastic
Fences
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight