As opposed to the Oscars—which have received a lot of backlash recently over the issue of race—the 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, which took place Jan. 30, was a model of diversity.
“Ladies and gentleman, welcome to diverse TV,” actor Idris Elba said. Elba made his own mark in other ways, winning two awards in the same evening—for best supporting actor in a movie (for Beasts of No Nation) and best actor in a television movie or miniseries (for Luther).
Also, Queen Latifah won for female actor in a television movie or miniseries for her turn as bisexual blues singer Bessie Smith in HBO’s Bessie. In addition, Uzo Aduba won for female actor in a comedy series for portraying “Crazy Eyes” in Orange Is the New Black. (In addition, “Orange” won for ensemble in a comedy series, beating Transparent and Modern Family, among others.) Viola Davis prevailed as the top female actor in a drama series for How to Get Away with Murder, edging performers such as Robin Wright (House of Cards) and Dame Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey).
Diversity regarding sexuality also was acknowledged in addition to Latifah’s, Davis’ and Aduba’s wins for portraying characters within the LGBT spectrum. Swedish actress Alicia Vikander became a first-time SAG winner with her award for best supporting actress in a movie for playing the artist Gerde Wegener, who discovers her husband is transgender, in The Danish Girl. Also, Kevin Spacey won for male actor in a drama series for his turn as bisexual U.S. President Frank Underwood in House of Cards.
In addition, Jeffrey Tambor won for male actor in a comedy series for his turn in the trans-focused show Transparent, defeating, among others, out actor Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory).
The Hollywood Reporter noted that nominations for the SAG Awards were announced in December—well ahead of the Academy’s Jan. 14 nominations announcement, which provoked protest when all the Oscar acting noms went to white performers.