As Screen Actors Guild Awards go virtual, a look at participating actors, nominations

Several Oscar hopefuls will reunite at Sunday’s Screen Actor Guild Awards , albeit in the same virtual, socially distanced way that most gatherings have happened in the last year. Normally held in a star-packed ballroom in Los Angeles, this year’s ceremony will be a stripped-down, hourlong affair that aims to deliver its annual celebration of the best film and television actors through pre-taped segments. The show will feature more of the SAG Awards’ signature opening “I Am an Actor” segments in which stars describe what their craft means to them. Tapings took place at actors’ homes or on sets, and precautions against COVID-19 included keeping crew to a minimum and coronavirus testing, said Maggie Barrett Caulfield, veteran talent booker for the ceremony. Competing for the show’s top honour, outstanding film ensemble, are Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom , Minari , One Night in Miami , Da 5 Bloods and The Trial of the Chicago 7. The category is a reliable bellwether of which film will win the best picture at the Oscars, including last year when Parasite took home both honours. (Actors make up the largest percentage of Academy Awards voters.) Chadwick Boseman, who died in August at age 43, is nominated individually for his performances in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and his supporting role in Da 5 Bloods. He has four total nominations from the ensemble nods, which set a record for film nominees. In the television categories, The Crown, Schitt’s Creek and Ozark are the leading nominees. All of the female leads in a drama series nominees came from either The Crown (Gillian Anderson, Olivia Colman, Emma Corrin) or Ozark (Laura Linney, Julia Garner). SAG Awards nominee Riz Ahmed will be a presenter for the show, along with Mindy Kaling, Josh Gad, Henry Golding and Rita Moreno. Lily Collins, Ted Danson, Daisy Ridley, Jimmy Fallon, Sterling K. Brown and Viola Davis are among the other stars that will make an appearance during the telecast. The show will air live on TNT and TBS at 9 pm Eastern. _(Also read - Pre-taped SAG Awards seek to revive the spirit of past celebrations in virtual edition)_