By JAKE COYLE
The papal thriller “Conclave” won best ensemble and Timothée Chalamet took best actor at the 31st Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday, a pair of twists that added a few final wrinkles to an unusually unpredictable awards season.
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In winning the guild’s top award, Edward Berger’s Vatican-set drama triumphed just as the Catholic Church was praying for the health of Pope Francis, who remained in critical condition Sunday after an asthmatic respiratory crisis. “Conclave” dramatizes the fictional election of a new pope. Earlier in the evening onstage, Isabella Rossellini shared the cast’s best wishes for Pope Francis.
All the momentum going into the SAG Awards was with Sean Baker’s “Anora,” which had won with the producers, directors and writers guilds. Now, with “Conclave” winning with the actors and at the BAFTAs, what will nab best picture in a week’s time at the Academy Awards is, again, anyone’s guess.
“Wow,” said “Conclave” star Ralph Fiennes taking the stage. “I’ve not been elected to speak. I’ve been designated to speak on behalf of our conclave, our ensemble.”
That wasn’t the only surprise in the ceremony held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles and streamed lived by Netflix. Chalamet’s best actor win upset “The Brutalist” star Adrien Brody and put the 29-year-old on course to possibly win his first Academy Award.
Chalamet looked visibly surprised when his name was announced at the ceremony. But once he reached the staged, the “A Complete Unknown” star spoke with composure and confidence.
“The truth is, this was 5 ½ years of my life,” said Chalamet. “I poured everything I had into playing this incomparable artist, Mr. Bob Dylan, a true American hero. It was the honor of a lifetime playing him.”
He then added: “The truth is, I’m really in pursuit of greatness. I know people don’t usually talk like that, but I want to be one of the greats.”
The other Oscar favorites — Demi Moore, Zoe Saldaña and Kieran Culkin — all won. The SAG Awards are closely watched as an Oscar preview. Their picks don’t always align exactly with those of the film academy, but they often nearly do.
The last three best ensemble winners — “Oppenheimer,” “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and “CODA” — all went on to win best picture at the Oscars. All but one of the SAG acting winners of the last three years has also won the Oscar. (The sole exception was Lily Gladstone, who won SAG’s award for female actor last year for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” but the Oscar trophy went to Emma Stone for “Poor Things”.)
Moore seemingly solidified her Oscar chances by following up her Golden Globe win for her performance in “The Substance.” Moore, whose campaign was boosted by her speech about being pigeonholed a “popcorn actress,” has traded awards with “Anora” breakthrough Mikey Madison.
Jane Fonda, 87, given the guild’s Life Achievement Award, provided the evening with its most passionately political moment. Fonda, a famed activist, spoke indirectly about President Donald Trump’s administration.
“We are in our documentary moment,” said Fonda. “This is it. And it’s not a rehearsal.”
Fonda added that “woke just means you give a damn about other people.”
“A whole lot of people are going to be hurt by what’s happening, by what’s coming our way,” said Fonda. “We are going to need a big tent to resist what’s coming at us.”
The winners
FILM
Ensemble: “Conclave”
Female actor in a leading role: Demi Moore, “The Substance”
Male actor in a leading role: Timothée Chalamet, “A Complete Unknown”
Female actor in a supporting role: Zoe Saldaña, “Emilia Pérez”
Male actor in a supporting role: Kieran Culkin, “A Real Pain”
Stunt ensemble: “The Fall Guy”
TELEVISION
Drama ensemble: “Shōgun”
Comedy ensemble: “Only Murders in the Building”
Female actor in a drama series: Anna Sawai, “Shōgun”
Male actor in a drama series: Hiroyuki Sanada, “Shōgun”
Female actor in a comedy series: Jean Smart, “Hacks”
Male actor in a comedy series: Martin Short, “Only Murders in the Building”
Female actor in a limited series or TV movie: Jessica Gunning, “Baby Reindeer”
Male actor in a limited series or TV movie: Colin Farrell, “The Penguin”
Stunt ensemble: “Shōgun”