‘Most diverse’ Screen Actors Guild awards dominated by LGBT shows
A number of diverse shows portraying LGBT characters picked up Screen Actors Guild awards last night.
Amid a row over all-white nominations for this year’s Oscars, many noted the opposite at the SAG Awards last night: with a large number of non-white winners, and many picking up nods for LGBT characters.
Queen Latifah led the field, picking up the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries – for her role as bisexual blues singer Bessie Smith in HBO’s Bessie.
The cast of Orange is the New Black also had a very good night.
Uzo Abuda picked up her second award for Female Actor in a Comedy Series for her role as Suzanne ‘Crazy Eyes’ Warren.
The show’s entire cast also picked up the Best Ensemble award – with an extensive 35 cast members name-checked, including Laverne Cox, Ruby Rose, and Lea DeLaria.
Valiantly, most of the show’s ensemble managed to make it onto the stage.
Meanwhile, two actors were honoured for their transgender-themed work.
Alicia Vikander picked up the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role award, for her turn as Gerda Wegener in Eddie Redmayne drama the Danish Girl.
On top of that, Jeffrey Tambor took home the award for Actor for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series for his portrayal of trans woman Maura Pfefferman in Amazon show Transparent.
Marking the award, Tambor said: “I’d just like to dedicate this award to the non-Maura Pfeffermans, who don’t have a lot of cash, for their operations, for their medicine, for their freedom.”
And THAT, Oscars, is how it is done.
