Another Monday has arrived which means another Sunday night has passed. Last night, the night of January 19 was a special one in particular, because the 2020Screen Actors Guild Awardshappened. The show may have gone host-less but there was no shortage of memorable moments. Among the best moments of the evening were the acceptance speeches.
The 2020 SAG Awards nominees were plentiful. Among this year’s nominees were awards season faves likeScarlett Johansson,Joe Pesci,Cynthia Erivo,Brad Pitt,Laura Dern,Joaquin Phoenix, andRenée Zellweger. There were also plenty of movies and TV shows name-checked through the nominations list, includingOnce Upon a Time in…Hollywood,The Irishman,Bombshell,Game of Thrones,The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,When They See Us, and more. But there could be only one winner per category and let me tell you something: Nearly every dang acceptance speech at the 2020 SAG Awards was incredibly good.
Check out some of the best speeches from the award show below, including Pitt’s very memorable and very jokey speech as well as the triumphant thank-you speech delivered by the cast ofParasite. All the speeches are available to watch in their full glory, so ensure you take enough time out of your day to enjoy them all.
Brad Pitt continues to hone his tight 10 on the awards circuit and last night’s speech at the SAG Awards was no exception. Winning for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance inOnce Upon a Time…in Hollywood, the actor began his acceptance speech with a cracking Tinder-related joke before making light ofOUATIHdirectorQuentin Tarantino’s cinematic foot fetish (“Quentin has separated more women from their shoes than the TSA”). Even when the jokes died down, Pitt remained supremely charming while going through and thanking each cast member onOUATIH, making it one of the best speeches of the night.
Laura Dern
Laura Dern is on a hot streak with her win in the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role category forMarriage Storyat the SAGs just the latest statuette she’s scooped in recent weeks. Dern is effervescent in her speech and gives proper shine to each of herMarriage Storyco-stars. Maybe the most charming part of her acceptance speech, though, is hearing her share her award with fellowMarriage StorylawyersAlan AldaandRay Liotta.
Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Phoenix is well on his way to winning Best Actor at the Oscars this year and his win on Sunday night in the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role category for hisJokerperformance was further proof of that eventual outcome. Phoenix was a little more pulled together in his speech than at the Golden Globes a few weeks ago but just as thankful and radiant. What makes his SAGs speech so good is his humble attitude as he went around and gave personalized compliments to fellow nomineesLeonardo DiCaprio,Christian Bale,Adam Driver, andTaron Egerton.
Renée Zellweger
Renée Zellweger won for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role thanks to her performance inJudyon Sunday night, pushing her one step closer to winning Best Actress at the Oscars. Zellweger’s acceptance speech went from good to great when she connected her thanks and recognition to having the opportunity to playJudy Garlandonscreen.
The Cast of Parasite
Was there a more exhilarating win than the cast ofParasite’s on Sunday night? I think not. A small portion of the cast —Song Kang-ho,Park So-dam,Choi Woo-sik,Jang Hye-jin, andLee Sun-kyun— took to the SAG stage to accept theirhistory-making awardin the Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture category. Song did a majority of the thanking but the entire energy of the moment, from the second the movie’s name was announced through to the end of the speech, was picture perfect.
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Anistonscooped up her second SAG award in the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series for her role in Apple TV+ seriesThe Morning Show.Aniston, truly stunned by the win, was nothing but thankful and full of praise in her acceptance speech. While there were many great lines from speeches across the board during the show, this one from Aniston wherein she gives a shoutout to longtime friend andUncut GemsstarAdam Sandleris among the greats: “Oh! Adam Sandler, your performance is extraordinary and your magic is real, buddy. I love you.”
Peter Dinklage
Every line ofPeter Dinklage’s acceptance speech for his win in the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series category was perfect. If you wanna know why it was one of the night’s best, just read it: “I would like to thank the people of Northern Ireland who put up with us for nine years. I would also like to thank everyone at table nine and ten and beyond cause we put up with each other for nine years. Finally and most importantly, I would like to thank my wife, who put up with me for more than nine years, but lived in a place far away from home, but made it home cause we were together.”
The Cast of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel'
Just hearingAlex Borstein, one of the many great members ofTheMarvelous Mrs. Maiselensemble begin the speech with “I voted forFleabag, so this is really weird,” already makes the cast’s win in the Ensemble in a Comedy Series category great. The runner-up for best line from the speech is again from Borstein, who quipped she was gonna take her SAG award statue home and “make sweet love to it through my Spanx hole.” But, at the end of the day, seeing the entire cast all up on stage together and truly shocked at their good fortune makes this speech one of the best.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Phoeber Waller-Bridgewas left breathless (and rightfully so) for her win in the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series category thanks to her stunning work onFleabagSeason 2. The actor opted for a prepared speech rather than letting the words flow free. But what was clear from this round Waller-Bridge’s numerous acceptance speeches from this year’s awards season was the fact that she was grateful, gracious, and always ready to make even the slightest quip. This may be Waller-Bridge’s most toned-down speech so far but it was nonetheless memorable.
