On Sunday, March 1, more than a handful of our favorite film and TV stars gathered for the 32nd Annual Actor Awards, (f.k.a. the SAG Awards). As usual, Black stars popped out and showed everybody how to walk the red carpet with undeniable style—but the magic didn’t stop at the red carpet!
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The affair turned out to be a much bigger moment with major wins from the “Sinners” crew and a whole lot more. If you weren’t able to catch the ceremony, keep reading as we highlight some of the biggest, Blackest moments from the annual show!
Abbott Elementary’s Cold Open
At the top of the show, the Actor Awards decided to start things off with a very apropos choice: using the “Abbott Elementary” cast to have a teacher’s meeting/water-cooler conversation about all the hottest TV shows and movies. From “White Lotus” and “The Pitt” to “Marty Supreme” and “One Battle After Another”—the cast did their commentary expertly. But hands down, the best moment came when Principal Ava (played by Janelle James) brought up “Sinners” and the subsequent jokes that followed.
Peep our favorite TV teachers and their bit below!
Miles Caton and Family Brings the House Down
For the first time ever, the Actor Awards decided to introduce a musical segment to the show. And for that, they tapped “Sinners” star Miles Caton to perform a soulful rendition of “This Little Light of Mine” alongside another young singer and a choir accompaniment. For further context, the song was sang in the by Caton in the second, post-credits scene in “Sinners.” The cherry on top of that performance? The little singer standing next to Caton was his own cousin, CJ, per Entertainment Tonight.
Michael B. Jordan Receives Standing Ovation (Presented by an Overjoyed Viola Davis)
In a moment that felt well-earned if you ask his fans, Michael B. Jordan took home the award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role for “Sinners.” After his name was called, he immediately embraced costar Delroy Lindo and kissed his mother on the cheek before going onstage in mild shock and extreme gratitude. Meanwhile, the crowd of his peers were up and on their feet celebrating his win in full force and giving him a standing ovation.
And what was perhaps the icing on the cake to his win was the fact that it was presented to him by Viola Davis, who excitedly announced it was him before actually announcing it was him by jumping and shouting: “You are shining, Harold Loomis!”—a quote from August Wilson’s 1984 play “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.”
See the triumphant moment below.
“Sinners” Takes the Grand Prize and Gets One Step Closer to Oscars Gold
As if Jordan’s win wasn’t already good, the cast of “Sinners” took home the top prize for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. This win was iconic for everyone, including director Ryan Coogler who made history as the only director to have two films that won in that category, (Black Panther won in 2018). The subsequent acceptance speech was given by Lindo who hilariously told the crowd he wasn’t gonna wrap up his talking after getting prompted to (mind you, this directive was given to him after they failed to give him a teleprompter of a pre-written speech.)
Regardless, seeing “Sinners” and Jordan win on that night only gave the film the extra push it needed to see a potential big win at the Oscars in a couple weeks. As we told you, this awards season has been a big deal for Black folks and Black art, and now the stakes are even higher!
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