Anonymous Screen Actors Guild Awards Voter Shares His Picks…
One of the highlights of the awards show season is the Screen Actors Guild Awards. This ceremony, put together and voted on by actors for actors, has gradually become an awards staple over the past twenty-six years and can often times serve as a cheat sheet for the up and coming Academy Awards in February and Primetime Emmy Awards in September.
The SAG Awards are incredibly unique in that they celebrate just the acting; the work of the Union performers in film and television over the past year. They are by far the snappiest awards show of the season, typically clocking in at a smoothly-running two hours maximum. The ceremony makes for a very streamlined and intimate show full of familiar faces praising their friends and colleagues. With six categories for film and nine for TV, there are no musical performances, no host, and other than the ‘In Memoriam’ video, no kind of distraction from the focus of the event. (Should the Oscars take notes?)
Another unique element of the show is who votes for the awards. Unlike the Oscars or the Golden Globes which have boards of governors or certain groups delegated to vote for certain awards, every card-carrying SAG/AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild/American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) member has a chance to provide influence for this show. There are hundreds of thousands of Union actors of every rank and city across the globe that are mailed screeners and ballots of the nominees and votes for the lucky A and sometimes B-listers that make it into the nominations.
One of these voters is a friend of mine who will remain anonymous. He has been putting time in for the awards since 2014 and has agreed to share his picks for the 2020 awards ballot, which is held this coming Sunday, with me. He will dish on some of the nominees and choices the guild has made in selecting them and promoting their work. He will also talk about being a voter and what comes with that ability. This is a brutally honest, candid conversation about the awards.
Before we dive into the nominees, I want to briefly ask you what this awards show mean to you as a Union actor?
“It’s an opportunity to realize and respect that we all have an equal voice in this process — unlike what occurs at other awards shows. You don’t have the thought in the back of your mind about how these films are chosen to be awarded. I will say, though, that the nomination process is very closely guarded. It’s not open to everyone. That team, to my understanding, rotates every year. But for the actual awards, every actor gets to vote. That’s unheard of. It’s peers judging peers. Actors judging actors. It carries more weight in my opinion.”
Do you feel that it has been a strong year of performances?
“I feel that this list is stronger than other years. I think we have more viable options. There have been years where I had thought, ‘clearly there is one standout performance’. I can honestly say that in all of the film categories, at least, there was for me an internal dialogue about tossing the options up.”
Let’s get started. We’ll go over the film categories first. Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role:
Jamie Foxx — Just Mercy
Tom Hanks — A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Al Pacino — The Irishman
Joe Pesci — The Irishman
Brad Pitt — Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
“There was a toss-up in this category for me between Hanks, Pacino, Pesci, and Pitt. You might wonder why I’m leaving off Jamie Foxx. It’s because I did not receive a screener in time to view his performance. This has been a criticism of mine for a while that the amount of time to watch these films is very short. Typically, we have between two or three weeks. Even watching a film every day, which is unmanageable for most working people, would take an upwards of a month and half at least. I watched all of these films up until this morning. I even had to skim through some of them. Of the ones I’ve seen in this category, I was particularly impressed with Joe Pesci and how he was able to carry the weight of his character through different ages. He had a unique flair and, as you know, he came out of retirement to do this film [The Irishman]. Al Pacino I didn’t even recognize and Brad Pitt really sold me on his character in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. What this all comes down to, for me, is a ‘wow’ factor, where I review everything and look for the most impressive transformation or portrayal. Sometimes I will involuntarily say ‘wow’ during the movie. That’s what I did for Tom Hanks in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood and that’s why he has my vote.”
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role:
Laura Dern — Marriage Story
Scarlett Johannson — Jojo Rabbit
Nicole Kidman — Bombshell
Jennifer Lopez — Hustlers
Margot Robbie — Bombshell
“So much to be said about each of these. Each has their own specialty. I thoroughly enjoyed Bombshell, but I don’t feel there are any supporting characters in that film. I feel that they all work as a perfect ensemble, which we’ll look at. Everyone was equal. Jennifer Lopez in Hustlers also didn’t feel like a supporting role. More like a lead. Scarlett Johansson in Jojo Rabbit was a good performance but I couldn’t find any sort of ‘wow’ factor. No standing ovation for that. That leaves Laura Dern, who was a surprise for me. I wasn’t expecting to vote for Marriage Story, but she is the only one who had a truly supporting role and she really added so much flair and authenticity to the film. She sold me. She has my vote.”
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role:
Christian Bale — Ford v Ferrari
Leonardo DiCaprio — Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Adam Driver — Marriage Story
Taron Egerton — Rocketman
Joaquin Phoenix — Joker
“Ha. This is the one I had the most back-and-forth with internally. I almost changed my vote multiple times. The toss-up was between Leonardo DiCaprio and Joaquin Phoenix. I was also impressed by Taron Egerton; I watched Rocketman last night. But the ‘wow’ factor belonged to Joaquin Phoenix. I said, ‘wow, that’s very psychologically and emotionally accurate’. Until the end, I was very torn on supporting a project [Joker] that has made headlines for potentially causing a crisis. Ultimately, none of those warnings have come to fruition. He gave an outstanding performance and the others as well are equally commendable, but he got my vote.”
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role:
Cynthia Erivo — Harriet
Scarlett Johannson — Marriage Story
Lupita Nyong’o — Us
Charlize Theron — Bombshell
Renée Zellweger — Judy
“This was the hardest category to vote for. I thought that all of these performances had some sort of ‘wow’ factor to them and each in their own way. With Harriet [Cynthia Erivo] , you felt like you were there in the historical moment. Equally with Renée Zellweger in Judy. It felt like I was seeing the real Judy Garland. I mean, there was amazing depth not only to portray her emotional impact but to also sing and perform in front of people. Again, to show how recent I watch these films (and shouldn’t have to), I watched Lupita Nyong’o in Us this morning, which was a great way to start the morning, by the way. Her having to play two alternate characters was impressive. Marriage Story [Scarlett Johansson] as well; the depth of showing a divorce in progress and saying things you don’t mean but in the heat of the moment you say them. That was incredible. But Charlize Theron…she absolutely gave me the ‘wow’ moment. When I watched Bombshell, I could not tell whether she was on camera or if Megyn Kelly was being used in archival footage. Charlize Theron got my vote. I don’t think she’ll win, but I had to vote for her.”
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Motion Picture:
Bombshell
Jojo Rabbit
The Irishman
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Parasite
“With Bombshell, there was an incredible list of people. Like I said, everyone was at the core of the story. It felt like there was no hierarchy to the characters. Everyone had an equal role. For The Irishman, it did feel to me like there was a certain hierarchy. It was a three-hour movie with a huge, talented cast. It didn’t seem like that cast was what carried the movie, though. It was the story and not so much how the characters were portrayed. It was actually hard for me to keep up with what character was still alive in the film! Jojo Rabbit is not my favorite. It didn’t do a lot for me and I didn’t see a lot of value that the entire ensemble brought. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, again, a talented ensemble, but it didn’t feel like you got the whole ensemble together until the end of the film. Parasite is very interesting. I went into it thinking it was a different movie, actually. I thought it was the one about the American girl who visits her Chinese family. Anyway, they’re all equally talented in that ensemble and I think that movie will get other awards this season. My vote was a toss-up between Bombshell and Parasite. I ultimately went with choosing Bombshell as my vote. Parasite was a close second, but I felt like Bombshell was an ensemble piece from the beginning.”
On to the TV Awards. Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series:
Alan Arkin — The Kominsky Method
Michael Douglas — The Kominsky Method
Bill Hader — Barry
Andrew Scott — Fleabag
Tony Shalhoub — The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
“I know Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a favorite among a lot of people. I went with an underdog for this one, Michael Douglas for The Kominsky Method. His role is both very natural to him and applaudable because he makes it so natural. It almost seems like an interview with Michael Douglas. It’s so unique.”
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series:
Christina Applegate — Dead to Me
Alex Borstein — The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Rachel Brosnahan — The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Catherine O’Hara — Schitt’s Creek
Phoebe Waller-Bridge — Fleabag
“This may or may not shock you but with all of these I was not able to watch the nominees at all. I did something that I’ve done before which is I actually did not select a candidate for this. There’s this temptation to vote for someone flippantly, but that lowers the genuineness of the vote. I think not voting here is more respectable than just casting a vote off of name recognition.”
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series:
Sterling K. Brown — This is Us
Steve Carrell — The Morning Show
Billy Crudup — The Morning Show
Peter Dinklage — Game of Thrones
David Harbour — Stranger Things
“David Harbour has long been a favorite for me. I went with him. There are a lot of questions regarding his character’s future with Stranger Things and it’s a performance that is very natural. I’ve never been a big Game of Thrones fan or a This is Us fan. The Morning Show is another instance where the screeners got in late. From what I’ve heard, I think I would have enjoyed it, but because I was able to watch all of Stranger Things and know how David Harbour did in that last season I’m going with him.”
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series:
Jennifer Anniston — The Morning Show
Helena Bonham Carter — The Crown
Olivia Colman — The Crown
Jodie Comer — Killing Eve
Elizabeth Moss — The Handmaid’s Tale
“The Crown by far has been one of my favorite shows as of late. They had the difficult task of recasting and I was very impressed with what they did this season. Handmaid’s Tale was also impressive but you’re dealing with some of the same actors in that as of previous years. For Olivia Colman to step into the shoes of Claire Foy and represent a real-life person, it was a toss-up between Helena Bonham Carter and her. I think Olivia had the smoothest transition, so I voted for her.”
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries:
Mahershala Ali — True Detective
Russell Crowe — The Loudest Voice
Jared Harris — Chernobyl
Jharrel Jerome — When They See Us
Sam Rockwell — Fosse/Verdon
“I was very excited to watch Chernobyl, I had seen a lot about it. I didn’t get a lot of excitement from these others, but my excitement before watching, while watching, and after watching Chernobyl made me pick Jared Harris.”
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries:
Patricia Arquette — The Act
Toni Collette — Unbelievable
Joey King — The Act
Emily Watson — Chernobyl
Michelle Williams — Fosse/Verdon
“We can sort of carry on and say the same thing that applies to Chernobyl. I think that whole cast was stellar. I love to see their transformation, especially Emily Watson. She exemplified a very educated person in her character’s field and made it something her own. It takes a lot to do that, and she truly brought it.”
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series:
Barry
Fleabag
The Kominsky Method
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Schitt’s Creek
“I think the entire premise of Kominsky Method is awesome. You feel like you are part of the acting class. I saw the other nominees but didn't have much interest in them. I’ve seen them before, and it just felt like a continuation of things.”
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series:
Big Little Lies
The Crown
Game of Thrones
The Handmaid’s Tale
Stranger Things
“Game of Thrones has never been my cup of tea, The Handmaid’s Tale is a good dystopian story, Stranger Things continues to pose questions, Big Little Lies you could say the same, but The Crown takes the cake because they are dealing with set events and the cast has to deal with it in a way that is excitable and entertaining to watch recent history. The cast all has their own responsibility to history and entertainment. They have that burden to be authentic and entertaining and they all do a superb job of balancing the two. The Crown has my vote.”
Is there any performance you feel didn’t make it in that you really loved?
“I did think for TV comedy that Mr. Iglesias, Gabriel Iglesias’ Netflix show, went into some uncharted territory. He’s portraying a teacher but he’s still himself. It had a lot of good moments and character development, I was surprised it didn’t get a lot of attention. In the film category, equally, I was surprised that with the Oscars there’s a lot of attention towards 1917 and Little Women. Neither of them are here. Surprising.”
“Also, I want to talk about two other categories that aren’t shown during the awards. They are the Stunt Ensemble awards for film and TV. For film I picked Avengers: Endgame and for TV I picked The Walking Dead. A lot of people don’t know that the stunt performers are equally part of the Screen Actors Guild and AFTRA and their awards are cut out of the main show. They’re done in the pre-show. A lot of main performances are assisted by those stunt performances. It’s important to me that they get equal representation. I have worked with stunt people before and they take their position with the utmost caution and respect to the person they’re representing. And without them, we would have a lot more injuries.”
How do you feel about this voting method of “every voice counts?” Do you truly feel like your vote counts?
“The only piece of transparency I wish SAG would add is the ability for members at least to see, at the end of the show, the data of voter distribution. With any other election in this country, you get to see the numbers, but with this vote, you send it out with the hope that it is tabulated among the rest. Everyone gets an award ballot and pin and not everyone votes, but its our responsibility to see the films and do them justice with these awards. I would like some additional transparency for members who have voted.”
And lastly, are you looking forward to this year’s show?
“Absolutely! I cannot wait to see what actually wins. I have some ideas about how my votes and the winners will contradict. It’s particularly exciting this year because there have been shows in the past where there are performances in projects where I’m like ‘I hope it doesn’t win that much. I hope it doesn’t hog the awards.’ I do not feel that way this year. I can easily go into this awards show and support whoever wins.”
My thanks to my friend, the Anonymous Voter, for taking part in this conversation. The 26th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will be broadcast on TNT and TBS this Sunday, January 19, at 8:00 EST and 5:00 PST.
