The Screen Actors Guild has chimed into awards season, with at least one fairly surprising surprise.
(Here were the nominees.)
The Screen Actors Guild Award Winners 2012:
Best Cast, Motion Picture: The Help
Best Actress, Motion Picture: Viola Davis, The Help
Best Actor, Motion Picture: Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Best Cast, TV Drama: Boardwalk Empire
Best Actor, TV Drama: Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Best Actress, TV Drama: Jessica Lange, American Horror Story
Best Actor, Miniseries or TV Movie Paul Giamatti, Too Big to Fail
Best Actress, Miniseries or TV Movie: Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce
Best Cast, TV Comedy: Modern Family
Best Actress, TV Comedy: Betty White, Hot in Cleveland
Best Actor, TV Comedy: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Best Supporting Actress, Motion Picture: Octavia Spencer, The Help
Stunt Ensemble, TV: Game of Thrones
*
It’s no shocker that The Help took the ensemble honor, given that three in its cast are Oscar nominees (Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, and Jessica Chastain). And Christopher Plummer continues his much-deserved sweep this season for Beginners.
A surprise? Jean Dujardin besting George Clooney and Brad Pitt for Best Actor in The Artist. While this is certainly The Artist‘s year in many categories, the smart money has been on Clooney so far as Best Actor, with a potential (but unlikely) upset from Pitt.
Could this mean Dujardin is a serious candidate for the Oscar? Yes. The Academy has shown it is willing to recognize previously little-known foreigners, like Marion Cotillard in La Vie En Rose. If there are enough people (like me) out there who feel Clooney’s role in The Descendants was not remarkable enough for this prestigious honor, the tide could turn in Dujardin’s favor, which I am all for.