Barbra Streisand recalled ‘dreaming of being an actress as a teenager’ as she was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Saturday.
The 81-year-old entertainer brought several high-profile stars to tears in the audienc, even as she joked it was ‘wonderful’ to receive the accolade because she didn’t have to sit and ‘squirm’ while watching someone else accept a prize she’d been nominated for before reflecting on the early days of her career.
Her speech came as the Screen Actors Guild honored the best performers in film and television at its 30th annual ceremony at LA’s Shrine Auditorium following SAG-AFTRA’S taxing 118-day strike last year.
‘This is such a wonderful award to get because you know in advance you’re going to get it,’ Streisand gushed. ‘You don’t have to sit there in squirm… And if you don’t have to put on such a happy face. “I’m so happy to lose!”
‘Anyway, you all know what I mean,’ she joked.
Barbra Streisand, 81, recalled ‘dreaming of being an actress as a teenager’ as she was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Saturday
“I can’t believe it. I remember dreaming of being an actress as a teenager, sitting in my bed in Brooklyn with a pint of coffee ice cream and a movie magazine.”
The ‘Yentl’ star went on to reflect on her life-long love of movies, including watching “the most beautiful actor” and her “first crush” Marlon Brando in 1954’s ‘Guys and Dolls.’
She said: “He was so real, so believable. And I wanted to be the one he fell in love with, not Jean Simmons.”
Barbra reflected on her six-decade career as she thanked the actors and directors she had worked with over the years, including Warner Bros., Samuel Goldwyn, Louis B. Mayer and William Eyler, before paying tribute to the stars in the room at Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium.
She said: “I want to thank you for giving me so much joy, just watching all of you on the screen,” she sweetly concluded. “Thank you for that.”
Jennifer Aniston had earlier paid tribute to her friend, even joking about how they had once shared a kiss on New Year’s Eve.
She also said: “Barbara, that’s all you have to say and you know.
“That face, that voice, that talent. It is a once-in-a-lifetime talent and how lucky that it is in our lifetime.”
Following her lengthy tribute, Bradley Cooper – who played Jackson Maine in the 2018 remake of ‘A Star is Born’ – made a surprise appearance to give a second tribute to the iconic star, hailing her a “true auteur”.
Winners for tonight’s show are determined by SAG-AFTRA members, who vote for their favorites across a number of categories.
Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani announced the nominations earlier this year on Instagram Live, with Barbie and Oppenheimer leading the film nominations with four nods each.
Barbie star Margot Robbie and Emma Stone from Poor Things are among the nominees for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role.
Maestro’s Bradley Cooper and Oppenheimer’s Cillian Murphy are also among the contenders for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role.
Ryan Gosling, who played Ken in Barbie, is among the contenders for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role. He will compete against Sterling K. Brown, Willem Dafoe, Robert De Niro and Robert Downey Jr. for the honor.
As far as television, the hit HBO Max drama series Succession earned the most nominations with a total of five nods.
Three of their stars are up for the same honor. Brian Cox, Kieran Culkin, and Matthew Macfadyen are among the nominees for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series.
Sarah Snook is also up for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series.
Succession will be competing for best ensemble in a drama series against The Crown, The Gilded Age, The Last of Us and The Morning Show.
Comedy shows Ted Lasso and The Bear also received four nominations.
All three series are up for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
Netflix will live stream the ceremony for the first time. Last year’s awards were streamed on Netflix’s YouTube account.
The entertainer brought stars in the audience to tears, even as she joked it was ‘wonderful’ to receive the accolade because she didn’t have to sit and ‘squirm’ while watching someone else accept a prize she’d been nominated for before reflecting on the early days of her career
FILM
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture: Oppenheimer
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role: Lily Gladstone – Killers Of The Flower Moon
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role: Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role: Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role: Robert Downey Jr. – Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer was a major winner in the film categories as it earned top honor Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
TELEVISION
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series: Succession
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series: The Bear
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series: Elizabeth Debicki – The Crown
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series: Pedro Pascal – The Last Of Us
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series: Ayo Edebiri – The Bear
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series: Jeremy Allen White – The Bear
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series: Ali Wong – Beef
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series: Steven Yeun – Beef
The awards come just months after SAG-AFTRA struck a deal with film studios following a months-long strike in which pay in the streaming era and artificial intelligence were top issues of concern.
The strike began on July 25, 2023, and a tentative deal was struck on November 8. It formally ended on December 5, 2023, with 78 percent of union members voting yes.
Despite disagreements over the final deal, the outcome was a huge relief for union leaders and the entertainment industry following a grueling few months of strikes.
The boycott coincided with the WGA strike, which lasted from May 2 to September 27.
FILM
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
‘American Fiction’
‘Barbie’
‘The Color Purple’
‘Killers of the Flower Moon’
‘Oppenheimer’ – WINNER
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Annette Bening – ‘Nyad’
Lily Gladstone – ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ – WINNER
Carey Mulligan – ‘Maestro’
Margot Robbie – ‘Barbie’
Emma Stone – ‘Poor Things’
Lily Gladstone beat out Margot Robbie and Emma Stone in lead actress category for their work in Killers Of The Flower Moon
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Bradley Cooper – ‘Maestro’
Colman Domingo – ‘Rustin’
Paul Giamatti – ‘The Holdovers’
Cillian Murphy – ‘Oppenheimer’ – WINNER
Jeffrey Wright – ‘American Fiction’
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Emily Blunt – ‘Oppenheimer’
Danielle Brooks – ‘The Color Purple’
Penelope Cruz – ‘Ferrari’
Jodie Foster – ‘Nyad’
Da’Vine Joy Randolph – ‘The Holdovers’- WINNER
Da’Vine Joy Randolph triumphed in the Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role category for The Holdovers
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Sterling K. Brown – ‘American Fiction’
Willem Dafoe – ‘Poor Things’
Robert De Niro – ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’
Robert Downey Jr. – ‘Oppenheimer’ – WINNER
Ryan Gosling – ‘Barbie’
Robert Downey Jr. won Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role and Outstanding Ensemble for Oppenheimer
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
‘Barbie’
‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’
‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’
‘John Wick: Chapter 4’
‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ – WINNER
TELEVISION
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
‘The Crown’
‘The Guilded Age’
‘The Last of Us’
‘The Morning Show’
‘Succession’ – WINNER
Succession was upset in several individual categories but did win top honor Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
‘Abbot Elementary’
‘Barry’
‘The Bear’ – WINNER
‘Only Murders in the Building’
‘Ted Lasso’
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Jennifer Aniston – ‘The Morning Show’
Elizabeth Debicki – ‘The Crown’ – WINNER
Bella Ramsey – ‘The Last of Us’
Keri Russell – ‘The Diplomat’
Sarah Snook – ‘Succession’
Elizabeth Debicki beat out favorite Sarah Snook for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama for The Crown
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
Brian Cox – ‘Succession’
Billy Crudup – ‘The Morning Show’
Kieran Culkin – ‘Succession’
Matthew Macfadyen – ‘Succession’
Pedro Pascal – ‘The Last of Us’ – WINNERS
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Alex Borstein – ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’
Rachel Brosnahan – ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’
Quinta Brunson – ‘Abbott Elementary’
Ayo Edebiri – ‘The Bear’ – WINNER
Hannah Waddingham – ‘Ted Lasso’
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Brett Goldstein – ‘Ted Lasso’
Bill Hader – ‘Barry’
Ebon Moss-Bachrach – ‘The Bear’
Jason Sudeikis – ‘Ted Lasso’
Jeremy Allen White – ‘The Bear’ – WINNER
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
Uzo Aduba – ‘Painkiller’
Kathryn Hahn – Tiny Beautiful Things’
Brie Larson – ‘Lessons in Chemistry’
Bel Powley – ‘A Small Light’
Ali Wong – ‘Beef’ – WINNER
Ali Wong earned Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie or Limited Series for Beef
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
Matt Bomer – ‘Fellow Travelers’
Jon Hamm – ‘Fargo’
David Oyelowo – ‘Lawmen: Bass Reeves’
Tony Shalhoub – ‘Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie’
Steven Yeun – ‘Beef’ – WINNER
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series
‘Ahsoka’
‘Barry’
‘Beef’
‘The Last of Us’ – WINNER
‘The Mandalorian’
