One of the most unpredictable awards seasons in memory took another itty-bitty step toward clarity at Sunday evening’s SAG Awards, as Hollywood’s actors — who represent the motion picture academy’s largest branch — gave their highest honor to “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.”

Director Martin McDonagh’s dark morality tale took home three awards, including the top prize for ensemble, beating out “Lady Bird,” “Mudbound,” “Get Out” and “The Big Sick.” Frances McDormand won the lead actress award for her turn as a grieving mother who tries to spur the local police to solve her daughter’s murder, while Sam Rockwell earned the supporting actor award for his performance as a racist, dimwitted cop.

Though this year’s wide-open awards race has stymied even the most veteran Oscar prognosticators, the victories for “Three Billboards” — which follow its four wins earlier this month at the Golden Globes — could bode well for its Oscar prospects. Over the last 24 years, roughly half of the winners of the ensemble prize have gone on to win best picture at the Oscars.

COMPLETE LIST of SAG Awards 2018 winners and nominees »


That said, two of this year’s strongest contenders — Guillermo del Toro’s fantastical fable “The Shape of Water” and Steven Spielberg’s Pentagon Papers drama “The Post” — were shut out of the SAG ensemble category.

Gary Oldman won the lead actor award for his acclaimed turn as Winston Churchill in the period drama “Darkest Hour.” Allison Janney received the prize for her supporting turn as Olympic figure skater Tonya Harding’s mother in the dramedy “I, Tonya.” Both actors also triumphed at the Golden Globes.

1 / 32 Susan Kelechi Watson, Chrissy Metz and Mandy Moore from the show “This Is Us” hang out during the cocktail hour of the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 32 “This Is Us” actor and SAG award winner Sterling K. Brown takes a photo standing on his chair during cocktail hour at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 32 Jenifer Lewis with Lily Tomlin during cocktail hour at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 32 Actress Allison Williams hugs Brie Larson during cocktail hour at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 32 Madeline Brewer checks her phone during cocktail hour at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 32 Anthony Anderson adjusts his wife Alvina Stewart’s shoe during cocktail hour at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 32 Tracee Ellis Ross stands in front of the SAG stage. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 32 “The Florida Project’s” Willem Dafoe enters cocktail hour at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 32 Madeline Brewer enters cocktail hour after walking the red carpet at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 32 Hostess Kristin Bell smiles on stage during the show at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 32 Frances McDormand takes the stage with the cast and crew Sunday after winning outstanding performance by a cast in a theatrical motion picture for “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 32 Frances McDormand walks to the stage to accept her award for outstanding performance by an actress in a leading role for “Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri.” (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 32 Halle Berry congratulates Frances McDormand while giving her the award for outstanding performance by an actress in a leading role for “Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri.” (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 32 “Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri’s” Frances McDormand speaks while accepting her award for outstanding performance by an actress in a leading role. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 32 The cast of the TV series “This Is Us” accepts the SAG Award for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 32 Goldie Hawn and daughter Kate Hudson announce the SAG Award for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 32 The image of Don Rickles is shown during the In Memoriam section of the Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 32 The In Memoriam tribute at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards included David Cassidy. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 32 Sterling K. Brown from “This Is Us” took home the award for outstanding performance by a male actor in a drama series at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 32 Rita Moreno introduces Morgan Freeman, recipient of the Life Achievement Award Sunday at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 32 Morgan Freeman picks up his Life Achievement Award at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards as presenter Rita Moreno looks on. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 22 / 32 Morgan Freeman accepts the lifetime achievement award during the show at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 32 “I, Tonya” actres Allison Janney accepts the SAG Award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a supporting role during the show at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 32 Nicole Kidman (“Big Little Lies”) accepts her SAG Award for outstanding performance by an actress in a television movie or miniseries. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 32 Nicole Kidman is congratulated by “Big Little Lies” costars Laura Dern and Reese Witherspoon for her SAG Award for outstanding performance by an actress in a television movie or miniseries. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 26 / 32 Alexander Skarsgard accepts his SAG Award for outstanding performance by an actor in a television movie or miniseries for his role in “Big Little Lies.” (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 32 “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’s” Sam Rockwell accepts the SAG Award for outstanding performance by an actor in a supporting role. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 32 Actress Leslie Bibb congratulates her boyfriend Sam Rockwell (“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”) for his SAG Award for outstanding performance by an actor in a supporting role at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 32 Gary Oldman accepts the award for outstanding performance by an actor in a leading role for “Darkest Hour” at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 32 William H. Macy (“Shameless”) accepts the SAG Award for male actor in a comedy series. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 32 The stage is set inside the Shrine Auditorium at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 32 / 32 Inside the Shrine Auditorium before the 24th SAG Awards on Sunday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Last year’s SAG Awards ceremony, held in the wake of President Trump’s inauguration and just days after the announcement of a controversial immigration ban, was filled with raw, blistering political speeches. By contrast, this year’s show was a relatively muted affair, with the bulk of the fire directed not at Washington but at the entertainment industry itself.


Coming in the midst of the industry’s ongoing sexual harassment scandals, the ceremony highlighted women throughout the evening, with a female host, actress Kristen Bell, and all-female awards presenters — each a first in SAG history. In one of the evening’s more pointed barbs, Bell half-jokingly referred to Hulu’s drama series “The Handmaid’s Tale” — which envisions a dystopian future in which women are subjected to brutal misogyny and sexual subjugation — as “a documentary.”

Presenters Marisa Tomei and Rosanna Arquette during the show at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on Sunday, January 21, 2018. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times )

Actress Rosanna Arquette — who was among several women whose accusations of sexual misconduct against film mogul Harvey Weinstein helped ignite the #MeToo movement — acknowledged all of those who have spoken up against harassment in Hollywood and beyond.

“We are honored to be part of this supportive creative community and we are inspired that so many powerful voices aren’t silenced by the fear of retaliation,” Arquette said. “We can control our own destiny.”


Illustrating just how much gender issues were on people’s minds, Morgan Freeman — who earned a lifetime achievement award for his long and distinguished career — wryly noted that even the SAG statuette itself is male.

Against this backdrop, the SAG Awards avoided a potentially uncomfortable moment when James Franco, who has faced accusations of sexually inappropriate behavior toward several women in recent weeks, failed to win the lead actor award for his turn as hapless filmmaker Tommy Wiseau in “The Disaster Artist,” a role that recently earned him a Golden Globe.

Another of the evening’s nominees, Aziz Ansari from the Netflix comedy “Master of None,” who faced controversial allegations from an anonymous woman, was not in attendance.

On the TV side, NBC’s “This Is Us” won its first-ever award for ensemble in a drama series, with star Sterling K. Brown collecting the award for lead actor. HBO’s comedy “Veep” also won two awards for its ensemble and star Julia Louis-Dreyfus, as did its limited series “Big Little Lies,” which earned awards for Nicole Kidman and Alexander Skarsgard.


Sterling K. Brown won the award for lead actor in a drama series for his work on “This Is Us” at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times )

With her wins for “Veep,” Louis-Dreyfus set a new record for the most SAG Awards — nine — ever won by a single performer. But the actress, who has been battling breast cancer for months, was watching the show from her home. “I wish I could have been @SAGawards tonight but have to admit it’s pretty fun to watch in my pj’s,” she wrote on Twitter.

In one of the evening’s few surprises in the TV categories, Claire Foy earned her second consecutive prize for lead actress in a drama series for the second season of Netflix epic “The Crown,” beating out “Handmaid’s Tale” star Elisabeth Moss, who was considered the favorite following her wins at both the Golden Globes and the Primetime Emmys.

Speaking to her fellow actors — and by extension to the audience watching at home — SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris summed up the evening’s overarching message of solidarity in tackling some of the industry’s most intractable ills and inequities.


“Change is coming, and we are the agents of that change,” she said. “We can and we must create an environment in which discrimination, harassment and abuse are no longer tolerated. Make no mistake, this is not a moment in time. This is a movement. And our strength comes in our unity.”

Times staff writer Sonaiya Kelley contributed to this report.

1 / 67 Actress Kristen Bell, the SAG Awards’ first host, walks the red carpet. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 67 “Get Out” actress Allison Williams greets fans during the arrivals at the 24th SAG Awards. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 67 Dakota Fanning poses on the red carpet during the arrivals at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times / ) 4 / 67 Halle Berry and Eris Baker arrive for the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 67 Goldie Hawn and daughter Kate Hudson walk the red carpet during the arrivals at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 67 Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, actor/director Greta Gerwig and actor Timothee Chalamet hug and pose during the arrivals at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Los Angeles. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 67 Gina Rodriguez acknowledges the crowd and photographers while walking the red carpet at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 67 Rita Moreno, who will present the Lifetime Achievement Award, arrives at the 24th SAG Awards. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 67 “The Big Sick” couple Emily V. Gordon, left, and Kumail Nanjiani arrive at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Jordan Strauss / Invision / Associated Press) 10 / 67 “Get Out” actress Allison Williams and “I, Tonya” actress Margot Robbie attend the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Kirk McKoy/Los Angeles Times | Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images) 11 / 67 Elisabeth Moss during the arrivals at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on Sunday, January 21, 2018. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 67 Steve and Nancy Carell during the arrivals at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on Sunday, January 21, 2018. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 67 Geena Davis walks under the tent during the red carpet arrivals at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 67 Allison Janney during the arrivals at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on Sunday, January 21, 2018. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 67 Timothee Chalamet takes a selfie for the women in the stands in the rear during the arrivals at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on Sunday, January 21, 2018. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 67 Leslie Bibb, Sam Rockwell Jeff Daniels and wife Kathleen Rosemary Treado during the arrivals at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on Sunday, January 21, 2018. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 67 “Curb Your Enthusiasm” creator Larry David is in the crowd as participants arrive during the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 67 “I, Tonya” actress Margot Robbie strikes a pose during the arrivals at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 67 Molly Sims hits the red carpet during the arrivals at the 24th SAG Awards. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 67 “Black-ish” and “Grown-ish” actress Yara Shahidi strikes a pose during the arrivals at the 24th SAG Awards. Next to her is “This Is Us” actor Lonnie Chavis. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 67 “This Is Us” actress Mandy Moore hits the red carpet during the arrivals at the 24th SAG Awards. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 22 / 67 Sam Rockwell gives Allison Janney a kiss during the arrivals at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on Sunday, January 21, 2018. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 67 “This Is Us” actor Milo Ventimiglia during the arrivals at the 24th SAG Awards. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 67 Yvonne Strahovski is in all white while posing on the red carpet at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 67 Jeff Daniels and his wife, Kathleen Rosemary Treado, arrive at the 24th SAG Awards. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 26 / 67 “Orange is the New Black” actress Uzo Aduba poses outside the 24th SAG Awards. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 67 “Claws” actress Niecy Nash greets the crowd and photographers at the 24th SAG Awards. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 67 “Orange is the New Black” actress Danielle Brooks arrives at the 24th SAG Awards. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 67 “Orange is the New Black” actress Taylor Schilling poses during the arrivals at the 24th SAG Awards. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 67 Marisa Tomei strides down the red carpet at the 24th SAG Awards. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 67 “Stranger Things” actor Sean Astin and his daughter actress Alexandra Astin walk the red carpet during the arrivals at the 24th SAG Awards. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 32 / 67 “Glow” actress Sydelle Noel on the red carpet for the arrivals at the 24th SAG Awards. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 33 / 67 “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” actress Samara Weaving during the arrivals at the 24th SAG Awards. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 34 / 67 “The Handmaid’s Tale” actress Samira Wiley and her wife, screenwriter Lauren Morelli, walk the red carpet at the SAG Awards. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 35 / 67 “The Big Sick” actress Holly Hunter is golden during the arrivals at the 24th SAG Awards. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 36 / 67 “The Florida Project” actor Willem Dafoe and his wife, director Giada Colagrande, stop for photos during the arrivals at the 24th SAG Awards. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 37 / 67 “Veep” actor Nelson Franklin walks the red carpet during the arrivals at the 24th SAG Awards. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 38 / 67 “Orange Is the New Black” actor Brad William Henke arrives at the 24th SAG Awards. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 39 / 67 “Orange Is the New Black” actress Jessica Pimentel shows off her train during the arrivals at the 24th SAG Awards. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 40 / 67 “Black-ish” actor Anthony Anderson and Alvina Renee Stewart pose on the red carpet for the 24th SAG Awards. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 41 / 67 Actress Connie Britton, left, poses for photographers on the red carpet for the 24th SAG Awards. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 42 / 67 Host Kristen Bell walks the Screen Actors Guild Awards red carpet Sunday at the Shrine Auditorium. (Frazer Harrison / Getty Images) 43 / 67 Mary Steenburgen and Ted Danson arrive on the red carpet for the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 44 / 67 “Veep” actors Timothy Simons and Tony Hale during the arrivals at the 24th SAG Awards. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 45 / 67 Susan Kelechi Watson (“This Is Us”) takes a pause on the red carpet at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 46 / 67 “Black-ish” star Tracee Ellis Ross. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 47 / 67 “Stranger Things” cast members Dacre Montgomery, Natalia Dyer and Joe Keery get together on the red carpet at the SAG Awards. Actress Madeline Brewer (“The Handmaid’s Tale”) is shown at far right. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 48 / 67 “Black-ish” actress Jenifer Lewis poses at the arrivals at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 49 / 67 “Stranger Things’” Natalia Dyer during the arrivals at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 50 / 67 Molly Shannon attends the Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium. (Frazer Harrison / Getty Images) 51 / 67 L-R) - Scott Evans and Lilliana Vazquez mimic the award statuettes during the arrivals at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on Sunday, January 21, 2018. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 52 / 67 Morgan Freeman during the arrivals at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on Sunday, January 21, 2018. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 53 / 67 Amanda Warren (“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”) on the red carpet at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 54 / 67 Keltie Knight arrives Sunday at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 55 / 67 Dave Franco and Alison Brie pose on the red carpet during the arrivals at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 56 / 67 “Stranger Things” actor Caleb McLaughlin plays it cool at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Christopher Polk / Getty Images for Turner Image) 57 / 67 Ryan Michelle Bathe, left, Sterling K. Brown and Marcus Scribner attend the Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images) 58 / 67 Joe Lo Truglio and Beth Dover on the SAG Awards red carpet at the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 59 / 67 Alison Brie arrives at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Matt Sayles / Invision/AP) 60 / 67 Actress Elizabeth McLaughlin attends the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images) 61 / 67 The cast of Netflix’s “Glow” on the red carpet at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images) 62 / 67 Alison Sudol (“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”) pauses on the red carpet at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 63 / 67 Sadie Sink and Jermel Nakia arrive at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 64 / 67 Lilliana Vazquez and Scott Evans walk the Screen Actors Guild Awards red carpet at the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 65 / 67 TV personalities Giuliana Rancic and Renee Bargh attend the Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium. (Frazer Harrison / Getty Images) 66 / 67 TV personality Tanika Ray, left, and Lilliana Vazquez at the 2018 SAG Awards. (Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images) 67 / 67 Screen Actors Guild statues stand tall on the red carpet at the SAG Awards Sunday at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall. (Richard Shotwell / Invision/AP)

josh.rottenberg@latimes.com


Twitter: @joshrottenberg

UPDATES:

8:48 p.m.: This article was updated with more details from the ceremony and context from the awards season.