Everything Everywhere All at Once has swept the 29th Screen Actors Guild Awards, taking home four of the six film awards of the night. The film also set a few records, with both Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan becoming the first Asian actors to win their respective categories.
As announced at the SAG Awards in LA on Sunday night, Yeoh took out Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role while Quan was awarded Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role.
“This moment no longer belongs to just me,” said a teary Quan in his acceptance speech, reflecting on his historic achievement. “It also belongs to everyone who has asked for change. When I stepped away from acting, it was because there were so few opportunities. Now tonight, here we are, celebrating James Hong, Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Hong Chau, Harry Shum Jr. The landscape looks so different now than before.”
“Fuck!” a similarly overwhelmed Yeoh said in hers. “This is not just for me. This is for every little girl that looks like me.”
Meanwhile, Jamie Lee Curtis beat out co-star Stephanie Hsu to win Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role. Fortunately Hsu still got to stand on stage with her castmates to accept the award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. Everything Everywhere All at Once‘s cast jointly delivered a speech which paid tribute to cast member James Hong, who is not dead, just a legend.
“I got my… SAG card… 70 years ago,” said Hong to a standing ovation. “My first movie was with Clark Gable. But back in those days — I have to tell you this — The Good Earth(Opens in a new tab), the leading role was played by these [white] guys with their eyes taped up… because the producers said the Asians were not good enough, and they are not box office. But look at us now, huh?”
Both Everything Everywhere All at Once and The Banshees of Inisherin also tied the record for the most nominations at the SAG Awards with five each, matching the number first achieved by Shakespeare in Love in 1998.
Everything Everywhere All at Once‘s sweep means that now the only SAG Award for film acting that has never been won by an Asian actor is the award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role. Minari‘s Yuh-jung Youn was the first Asian actor to ever win in the SAG Awards’ film acting categories, taking home Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in 2020.
