‘Parasite’ scores historic upset at SAG awards, boosting Oscar chances

View(s):

South Korean thriller “Parasite” was the upset winner at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards on Sunday, while Joaquin Phoenix and Renee Zellweger were named best actors, cementing their roles as frontrunners at the Oscars next month.

Parasite cast

“Parasite,” the Korean language social satire about the wealth gap in South Korea, was the first film in a foreign language to win the top prize of best cast ensemble in the 26 year-history of the SAG awards. Despite an unknown cast, it beat homegrown Hollywood movies “The Irishman” and “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood” which both have A-list stars.

The SAG awards, which focus entirely on performances, are closely watched as an indicator of Oscar success because actors form the largest voting group in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. “Parasite” director Bong Joon Ho said backstage that no-one could predict what might happen at the Oscars on Feb. 9. Speaking through an interpreter he added; “It is true that the momentum is building and we are a part of the awards race and campaign. But what happened today, what’s truly important, is that these actors were acknowledged by fellow peers as the best ensemble cast of this year.” Phoenix’s terrifying performance as a loner who finds fame through violence in “Joker” has swept awards season.

“I am standing on the shoulders of my favorite actor – Heath Ledger,” Phoenix said on Sunday, referring to the actor who won a posthumous Oscar in 2009 for his turn playing the comic book villain. Zellweger, likewise, has picked up most of the prizes so far for her performance as a desperate, aging Judy Garland in biopic “Judy.” Brad Pitt picked up another trophy for his supporting role as a charming stunt man in “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood,” while Laura Dern was named best supporting actress for playing a ruthless divorce lawyer in Netflix domestic drama “Marriage Story.” (REUTERS)

winners

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE:
“Parasite”

BEST FILM ACTOR:
Joaquin Phoenix “Joker”

BEST FILM ACTRESS:
Renee Zellweger “Judy”

BEST FILM SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Brad Pitt “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

BEST FILM SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Laura Dern “Marriage Story”

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST IN A TV DRAMA SERIES:
“The Crown”

BEST TV DRAMA ACTOR:
Peter Dinklage
“Game of Thrones”

BEST TV DRAMA ACTRESS:
Jennifer Aniston
“The Morning Show”

BEST ENSEMBLE TV COMEDY SERIES:
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”

BEST TV COMEDY ACTOR:
Tony Shalhoub “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”

BEST TV COMEDY ACTRESS:
Phoebe Waller-Bridge “Fleabag”