by Nathaniel R
We'll discuss the full list of SAG winners in the next post but first the big surprise. Tonight's major curveball in the film categories was Jamie Lee Curtis' win for Everything Everywhere All At Once. But perhaps this win shouldn't have felt like a shock at all...
If you think about it, jogging your memory just a hair, it's clear that the Best Supporting Actress race has been volatile all season. TAR's Nina Hoss was widely predicted in the fall but traction didn't take. Early expectations from pundits also suggested that Women Talking would surely land a nod or even two in the category. Janelle Monae and Keke Palmer, both giving juicy star turns in arguably leading roles gained some unexpected traction for Glass Onion and Nope, respectively, but not enough for Oscar heat. Dolly De Leon's MVP status in Triangle of Sadness was never debated and she landed nods at BAFTA and the Globes but an Oscar nomination still failed to materialize. One late punditry fancy that got a bit of steam online was that Michelle Williams might surprise for The Fabelmans despite her leading lady campaign. Then there was the question as to whether Stephanie Hsu, was too green a star to win Oscar traction.
In other words there have been a lot of names jostling for Oscar position for literally months. It hasn't quite been as crazy as 2007, a truly thrilling year where the televised awards just couldn't agree on Supporting Actress, but neither has it been stable. The closest we came to stability was a month where Angela Bassett looked unbeatable, taking both the Globe and the Critics Choice Award for her regal reprisal of Queen Ramonda in Black Panther Wakanda Forever. But then Kerry Condon took the prize at BAFTA and tonight Jamie Lee Curtis took SAG.
We were thrilled for her and admired the enthusiastic self-awareness of her speech. She owned up to being a "nepo baby" (the current internet punching bag term for the many people in the entertainment industry who had a leg up given their famous parents) but also embraced it.
Listen her parents gave her a foot in the door but her talent kept her in the room. She's proven herself over and over again for literally decades of film and television.
More importantly she's great in her SAG winning movie. What she does in Everything Everywhere All At Once is easy to dismiss -- people have, in fact, been easily dismissing comic achievements for literally the entire history of awards shows. Yet the work is impressive if you stop to actually consider it. She's on comic fire in every scene of the movie, with hilarious line readings and unexpected sticky physical choices that make Deirdre Beaubeirdre an unusually memorable character. It's not just the perfect costume that makes her that way.
Jamie Lee Curtis has always been more than Laurie Strode and there's a reason that her breakout role in Halloween isn't her only iconic one. She's been worthy of an Oscar nomination multiple times in her very long career but because she's more gifted at comedy than drama she's been ignored every time... until now. I've now seen EEAAO three times and her work gets better with each viewing. In truth that statement is true of each cast member; these are tricky multi-level roles pulled off with buckets of style, tonal precision, and true imagination.
But back to the race for the naked gold man.
Has Curtis stolen the narrative thunder of Angela Bassett? "Hollywood Legend Finally Gets Their Due From the Academy" has been a sturdy narrative that has resulted in wins in all four acting categories with some regularity. But it's also possible that this moment was just SAG being SAG since they do know how to throw a curveball. They also love honoring their own and Curtis has deep roots in the acting community and movie history.
Do the dueling campaigns of Curtis and Bassett -- both entirely focused on the star's rich career rather than the strength of their individual performances -- suggest that they could split the sentimental vote, allowing BAFTA winner Condon to surprise on Oscar night?
We'll be holding our breath until they open the envelope. How about you?