The Help Wins Big At Screen Actors Guild Awards

Earlier this evening, the Screen Actors Guild handed out their awards for excellence in acting in movies and television. It was a night of very few surprises as The Help ended up being the biggest winner, winning Best Actress (Viola Davis), Best Supporting Actress (Octavia Spencer), and Best Ensemble, SAG’s top award.

The only surprise in the theatrical films categories came in Best Actor. Most people expected the award to go to George Clooney for his performance in The Descendants, or, if not him, then Brad Pitt for his performance in Moneyball. These two have been the clear favorites throughout awards season, so it was a rather big shock to see the category awarded to Jean Dujardin for his outstanding performance in this year’s clear awards frontrunner The Artist. Personally I was rooting for Pitt or Dujardin to take it over Clooney, so this was quite a pleasant surprise.

As for the TV awards, there were several repeats of last year, including Best Ensembles once again going to Modern Family and Boardwalk Empire. Alec Baldwin (30 Rock), Betty White (Hot in Cleveland), and Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire) were also awarded their respective categories again.

For those who have been keeping track, this is the third major guild awards that has a major impact on how the Oscars will play out. Both the PGA and the DGA gave their top awards to The Artist, meaning that it will more than likely be taking home Best Picture and Best Director, while The Help was awarded SAG’s top honor, meaning it will be a force to contend with in the acting categories.

Various smaller guilds will be handing out their awards over the next month which will further assist in narrowing down who will be likely winners at the Oscars, which will air live on February 26th with host Billy Crystal.

Please see below for a complete list of the SAG award winners:

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES
Best Male Actor in a Leading Role
★ Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Best Female Actor in a Leading Role
★ Viola Davis, The Help
Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role
★ Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role
★ Octavia Spencer, The Help
Best Cast in a Motion Picture
★ The Help

PRIMETIME TELEVISION
Best Male Actor, Movie/Miniseries
★ Paul Giamatti, Too Big to Fail
Best Female Actor, Movie/Miniseries
★ Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce
Best Male Actor in a Drama Series
★ Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Best Female Actor in a Drama Series
★ Jessica Lange, American Horror Story
Best Male Actor in a Comedy Series
★ Alec Balwin, 30 Rock
Best Female Actor in a Comedy Series
★ Betty White, Hot in Cleveland
Best Ensemble in a Drama Series
★ Boardwalk Empire
Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series
★ Modern Family

STUNT ENSEMBLES
Best Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
★  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Best Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series
★  Game of Thrones