Are the SAG Awards Michelle Yeoh’s last stand in the battle for best actress Oscar?
SAG-AFTRA is the final industry group to bestow awards before final Oscar voting begins. With Academy members’ eyes on that Feb. 26 event, all hopes for Yeoh — after losing Critics Choice and BAFTA — are in the hands of the org’s approximately 16,000 members.
Her role as Evelyn, a laundromat owner on a quest to save the multiverse, is among the 11 Oscar nominations for the sci-fi comedy “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” Multiple pundits predict a big night for the A24 feature, including supporting actor for Ke Huy Quan, original screenplay and director for Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert.
Yeoh’s main competition is Cate Blanchett, who is nominated for her performance in Todd Field’s “Tár.” Despite the critical acclaim and career admiration that have flowed all awards season long, Yeoh has fallen behind the two-time Oscar winner in awards group accolades.
Blanchett and Yeoh have won Golden Globes in their respective lead actress drama and comedy categories. Before that, however, Blanchett walked away with the Critics Choice Award. Now, following the BAFTA Awards, where the Australian performer won her fourth statuette, a victory for Yeoh isn’t entirely out of the question — but the odds are greatly diminished.
If Yeoh fails to take SAG, winning the Oscar is virtually impossible. The last actress to do so with only a Golden Globe was Jessica Lange for “Blue Sky” (1994). Moreover, if Blanchett wins all four major televised prizes — BAFTA, Critics Choice, Globes and SAG — best actress will be nearly cemented. In Oscar history, only one actor in any category has lost the Academy Award after winning those four: Russell Crowe for “A Beautiful Mind” (2001) to Denzel Washington for “Training Day” (2001).
Why hasn’t Yeoh caught on with the voters of these groups?
One reason is that they’re missing a vital component of her role: Yeoh, 60, delivers a physically demanding performance, full of martial arts moves and stunt work that is as spectacular as Tom Cruise flying a jet in “Top Gun: Maverick.” And she achieves the daunting maneuvers while exquisitely conveying the pain and regret of a Chinese immigrant seeking a pathway to life’s happiness.
“I’m still shocked when I see clips from the movie and reminded how different Evelyn Wang is from Michelle Yeoh,” Scheinert says. “She did her homework.”
Industry voters may not see the effort in her effortless turn. Says Kwan: “I think she talks about our movie in a way that kind of diminishes what she did.”
Another factor is that comedic outings are rarely given their flowers. In some of the most competitive Oscar matchups of the past decade, Golden Globe winners for lead actress comedy — such as Amy Adams (“American Hustle”) and Saoirse Ronan (“Lady Bird”) — couldn’t overcome their counterparts in the drama category.
A similar scenario to that of “Everything Everywhere” is Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s “Birdman,” which landed four Oscars — best picture, director, original screenplay and cinematography — but didn’t come away with one for star Michael Keaton. As with Yeoh, the appreciation for the veteran actor was a major theme on the campaign trail, with career tributes and emphasis on his memorable roles dominating the conversation. Keaton’s comedic turn lost to Eddie Redmayne as scientist Stephen Hawking in the biopic drama “The Theory of Everything.”
Will SAG give Yeoh “Everything” she needs? Whether or not the dream of her standing on the Dolby Theatre stage becomes a reality in our universe, we, like Evelyn Wang, will “cherish these few specks of time.”
The final SAG Awards predictions are below.
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Performance by a Cast Ensemble
The nominees are:
“Babylon” (Paramount Pictures)
“The Banshees of Inisherin” (Searchlight Pictures)
“Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24)
“The Fabelmans” (Universal Pictures)
“Women Talking” (MGM/United Artists Releasing)Will Win: “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Could Win: “The Banshees of Inisherin”
Should Win: “Women Talking”Should Have Been Nominated: “The Woman King” (Sony Pictures)
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Male Actor in a Leading Role
And the nominees are:
Austin Butler (“Elvis”)
Colin Farrell (“The Banshees of Inisherin”)
Brendan Fraser (“The Whale”)
Bill Nighy (“Living”)
Adam Sandler (“Hustle”)Will Win: Austin Butler
Could Win: Brendan Fraser
Should Win: Austin ButlerShould Have Been Nominated: Eden Dambrine (“Close”)
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Female Actor in a Leading Role
And the nominees are:
Cate Blanchett (Tár”)
Viola Davis (“The Woman King”)
Ana de Armas (“Blonde”)
Danielle Deadwyler (“Till”)
Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”)Will Win: Michelle Yeoh
Could Win: Cate Blanchett
Should Win: Danielle DeadwylerShould Have Been Nominated: Taylor Russell (“Bones and All”)
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Male Actor in a Supporting Role
And the nominees are:
Paul Dano (“The Fabelmans”)
Brendan Gleeson (“The Banshees of Inisherin”)
Barry Keoghan (“The Banshees of Inisherin”)
Ke Huy Quan (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”)
Eddie Redmayne (“The Good Nurse”)Will Win: Ke Huy Quan
Could Win: Barry Keoghan
Should Win: Ke Huy QuanShould Have Been Nominated: Mark Rylance (“Bones and All”)
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Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Angela Bassett (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”)
Hong Chau (“The Whale”)
Kerry Condon (“The Banshees of Inisherin”)
Jamie Lee Curtis (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”)
Stephanie Hsu (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”)Will Win: Angela Bassett
Could Win: Jamie Lee Curtis
Should Win: Stephanie HsuShould Have Been Nominated: Dolly de Leon (“Triangle of Sadness”)
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Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
And the nominees are:
“Avatar: The Way of Water” (20th Century Studios)
“The Batman” (Warner Bros.)
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (Marvel Studios)
“Top Gun: Maverick” (Paramount Pictures)
“The Woman King” (Sony Pictures)Will Win: “Top Gun: Maverick”
Could Win: “The Batman”
Should Win: “Top Gun: Maverick”Should Have Been Nominated: “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
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Ensemble in a Drama Series
And the nominees are:
“Better Call Saul” (AMC)
“The Crown” (Netflix)
“Ozark” (Netflix)
“Severance” (Apple TV+)
“The White Lotus” (HBO)Will Win: “The White Lotus”
Could Win: “Severance”
Should Win: “The White Lotus”Should Have Been Nominated: “Yellowjackets” (Showtime)
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Ensemble in a Comedy Series
And the nominees are:
“Abbott Elementary” (ABC)
“Barry” (HBO)
“The Bear” (FX)
“Hacks” (HBO)
“Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu)Will Win: “Abbott Elementary”
Could Win: “The Bear”
Should Win: “Abbott Elementary”Should Have Been Nominated: “Wednesday” (Netflix)
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Male Actor in a Drama Series
And the nominees are:
Jonathan Banks (“Better Call Saul”)
Jason Bateman (“Ozark”)
Jeff Bridges (“The Old Man”)
Bob Odenkirk (“Better Call Saul”)
Adam Scott (“Severance”)Will Win: Bob Odenkirk
Could Win: Jason Bateman
Should Win: Adam ScottShould Have Been Nominated: F. Murray Abraham (“The White Lotus”)
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Female Actor in a Drama Series
And the nominees are:
Jennifer Coolidge (“The White Lotus”)
Elizabeth Debicki (“The Crown”)
Julia Garner (“Ozark”)
Laura Linney (“Ozark”)
Zendaya (“Euphoria”)Will Win: Zendaya
Could Win: Jennifer Coolidge
Should Win: ZendayaShould Have Been Nominated: Melanie Lynskey (“Yellowjackets”)
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Male Actor in a Comedy Series
And the nominees are:
Anthony Carrigan (“Barry”)
Bill Hader (“Barry”)
Steve Martin (“Only Murders in the Building”)
Martin Short (“Only Murders in the Building”)
Jeremy Allen White (“The Bear”)Will Win: Jeremy Allen White
Could Win: Steve Martin
Should Win: Jeremy Allen WhiteShould Have Been Nominated: Leslie Jordan (“Call Me Kat”)
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Female Actor in a Comedy Series
And the nominees are:
Christina Applegate (“Dead to Me”)
Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)
Quinta Brunson (“Abbott Elementary”)
Jenna Ortega (“Wednesday”)
Jean Smart (“Hacks”)Will Win: Jean Smart
Could Win: Quinta Brunson
Should Win: Quinta BrunsonShould Have Been Nominated: Selena Gomez (“Only Murders in the Building”)
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Male Actor in a TV Movie/Limited Series
And the nominees are:
Steve Carrell (“The Patient”)
Taron Egerton (“Black Bird”)
Sam Elliott (“1883”)
Paul Walter Hauser (“Black Bird”)
Evan Peters (“Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”)Will Win: Evan Peters
Could Win: Paul Walter Hauser
Should Win: Evan PetersShould Have Been Nominated: Sebastian Stan (“Pam and Tommy”)
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Female Actor in a TV Movie/Limited Series
And the nominees are:
Emily Blunt (“The English”)
Jessica Chastain (“George and Tammy”)
Julia Garner (“Inventing Anna”)
Niecy Nash-Betts (“Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”)
Amanda Seyfried (“The Dropout”)Will Win: Amanda Seyfried
Could Win: Niecy Nash-Betts
Should Win: Niecy Nash-BettsShould Have Been Nominated: Toni Collette (“The Staircase”)
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Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series
And the nominees are:
“Andor” (Disney+)
“The Boys” (Amazon Prime Video)
“House of the Dragon” (HBO)
“The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” (Amazon Prime Video)
“Stranger Things”Will Win: “House of the Dragon”
Could Win: “Andor”
Should Win: “The Boys”Should Have Been Nominated: “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” (Paramount+)