The American blockbuster movie ”Oppenheimer” took top honors at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards on Saturday, as Hollywood stars partied at their union’s first prize-giving gala since staging its longest-ever strike last year.
The prestigious prize for best performance by a cast at the SAG Awards is historically a strong predictor for the Oscars, and makes “Oppenheimer” a formidable frontrunner for best picture.
Christopher Nolan’s epic drama about the father of the atomic bomb also took the awards for best actor for Cillian Murphy, who plays the titular scientist, and best supporting actor for Robert Downey Jr, portraying his bitter rival.
“Thank you for the invitation to play a genuine part in making this scarily important film,” said Kenneth Branagh, speaking on behalf of the cast.
The mood at the gala was celebratory all around, as members of SAG-AFTRA—the union that represents some 120,000 performers, including A-list stars—congregated in numbers for the first time since the strike ended in November.
Branagh recalled how the film’s cast had walked out of their London premiere last July as the work stoppage was about to begin.
“We went from the red carpet, and we didn’t see the film that night. We happily went in the direction of solidarity with your good selves.
“So this, this is a full circle moment for us,” he said, to loud applause.
The guild ultimately extracted hard-fought gains including better pay and protections against artificial intelligence (AI) from studios including Disney and Netflix.
“You survived the longest strike in our union’s history with courage and conviction,” said SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher.
