With the Oscar race heating it up, it was a key night for one film and four actors as they all celebrated success at last night’s Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony.

Despite strong competition from the likes of The Irishman and Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood, the Korean thriller Parasite pulled off a surprise victory in the Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture category.

Directed by Bong Joon-Ho, the film centres on a poverty-stricken family who begin to infiltrate the lives of a wealthy household, only to bring disastrous consequences.

This win came at a crucial time for Parasite ahead of the Oscars, with the war-thriller 1917 set to be its biggest competition for the Best Picture prize following its triumph at the PGA (Producer Guild Awards) on Saturday.

In contrast, the acting races are beginning to look sewn up as the predicted quartet of Joaquin Phoenix, Renée Zellweger, Brad Pitt and Laura Dern all bagged key wins in their respective categories.

In Leading Male Actor, Phoenix moved himself a step closer towards his first Oscar win for his performance as the mentally-troubled comedian Arthur Fleck in Joker.

During his speech, he acknowledged the work of his fellow nominees before dedicating the award to former Joker actor Heath Ledger.

 

For her portrayal of legendary performer Judy Garland in Judy, Zellweger is on track to land her second golden statue after clinching Leading Female Actor ahead of the likes of Scarlett Johansson (Marriage Story) and Charlize Theron (Bombshell).

The supporting actor and actress gongs were comfortably won by frontrunners Brad Pitt for his role as veteran stuntman Cliff Booth in Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood and Laura Dern for her performance as divorce attorney Nora Fanshaw in Marriage Story.

In his acceptance speech, Pitt poked fun at director Quentin Tarantino over his foot fetish while offering to post a picture of his award on Tinder.

 

The Outstanding Stunt Ensemble award was presented to the Marvel epic Avengers: Endgame, while two-time Oscar-winning legend Robert De Niro received the Life Achievement gong for his excellent work in film over the past six decades.

The full list of film winners are…

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE
PARASITE

OUTSTANDING FEMALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Renée Zellweger, JUDY

OUTSTANDING MALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Joaquin Phoenix, JOKER

 

OUTSTANDING FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Laura Dern, MARRIAGE STORY

OUTSTANDING MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Brad Pitt, ONCE UPON A TIME IN…HOLLYWOOD

 

OUTSTANDING ACTION PERFORMANCE BY A STUNT ENSEMBLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
AVENGERS: ENDGAME

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On the small-screen side of things, there was plenty to savour for The Crown and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel as both series triumphed in the drama and comedy categories.

 

The third series of Netflix’s The Crown overcame stern competition from Big Little Lies and the final season of Game of Thrones to win Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.

However, stars Olivia Colman and Helena Bonham Carter missed out on the Female Actor (Drama) gong, which went to Jennifer Aniston for her performance as news anchor Alex Levy in Apple TV’s hit media series The Morning Show.

 

Despite missing out on the top honour, Game of Thrones still walked away with two awards, with one being for Outstanding Stunt Ensemble.

The other accolade went to Peter Dinklage, as he clinched Male Actor (Drama) for his iconic role as Tyrion Lannister. His competition in that category including Sterling K. Brown (This is Us) and Morning Show duo Steve Carell and Billy Crudrup.

In the comedy line-up, Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel surprisingly won Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series ahead of the much-fancied BBC sitcom Fleabag.

Maisel star Tony Shalhoub picked up his second successive Male Actor (Comedy) win at SAG for his performance as Abe Weissman, the father of female comedian Midge Maisel.

 

Though Fleabag missed out on the top gong, creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge deservedly landed Female Actor (Comedy) for her role as a long-suffering café worker looking for love.

Phoebe’s win completes a dominant awards season for her, having also prevailed at the Emmys last year and the Golden Globes earlier this month.

 

In the limited series acting categories, there was double success for stars Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams, as the pair won for their portrayals of former husband-and-wife team Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon in the autobiographical miniseries Fosse/Verdon.

Like Waller-Bridge, Williams has also enjoyed superiority throughout awards season, with previous victories at the Emmys and Globes.

The full list of television winners are…

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE IN A DRAMA SERIES
THE CROWN

OUTSTANDING FEMALE ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jennifer Aniston, THE MORNING SHOW

OUTSTANDING MALE ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Peter Dinklage, GAME OF THRONES

 

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE IN A COMEDY SERIES
THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL

OUTSTANDING FEMALE ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, FLEABAG

OUTSTANDING MALE ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Tony Shalhoub, THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL

 

OUTSTANDING FEMALE ACTOR IN A TELEVISION MOVIE OR LIMITED SERIES
Michelle Williams, FOSSE/VERDON

OUTSTANDING MALE ACTOR IN A TELEVISION MOVIE OR LIMITED SERIES
Sam Rockwell, FOSSE/VERDON

 

OUTSTANDING ACTION PERFORMANCE BY A STUNT ENSEMBLE IN A TELEVISION SERIES
GAME OF THRONES