Swank, Foxx win top awards
2005-02-07 08:30
Los Angeles - Actors Hilary Swank and Jamie Foxx, plus the offbeat comedy Sideways, were big winners at the US Screen Actors Guild awards, which are considered an important signpost for the Oscars later this month.
At a ceremony on Saturday Sideways, a comedy about two middle-aged friends touring the vineyards of California, was voted outstanding cast performance for the work of its four leading actors, Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Sandra Oh and Virginia Madsen.
The film, directed by Alexander Payne, is one of five nominated for best picture Oscar, along with The Aviator and Million Dollar Baby".
The SAG ensemble award is considered the equivalent of the top Oscar prize, which is due to be unveiled by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles on February 27.
The winner of the SAG ensemble award has gone on to garner best picture Oscar in four of the nine years in which the Screen Actors Guild has awarded prizes in this category.
Million Dollar Baby
Actress Hilary Swank was awarded best actress for her role in Million Dollar Baby, directed by Clint Eastwood, in which she portrays a woman who decides to become a professional boxer.
Oscar prospects are looking bright for the willowy young actress, who also took home the best actress in a drama award at the Golden Globes Awards on January 16.
As in 2000, when she won an Oscar for Boys Don't Cry, Swank faces stiff competition from a more senior actress, Annette Bening, who is in the running for her starring role in Being Julia. Bening was nominated for an Oscar in 2000 for American Beauty.
Actor Jamie Foxx won best actor on Saturday for his portrayal of the recently deceased musician Ray Charles, in the film Ray. Experts say Foxx is a shoo-in for an Oscar, after he picked up the analogous award at the Golden Globes.
The Aviator
The Aviator, which has 11 Oscar nominations including best picture, best director for Martin Scorsese, and best actor for Leonardo di Caprio, barely got onstage on Saturday, winning only best supporting actress for Cate Blanchett for her portrayal of Katharine Hepburn.
Veteran actor Morgan Freeman won best supporting actor for his role in Million Dollar Baby.
Actors Geoffrey Rush and Glenn Close, normally stars of the big screen, were honored for recent television work. Rush got best television actor for his portrayal of Peter Sellers in "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers" on HBO. Close won best actress for her work in The Lion in Winter on Showtime.
Actor James Garner received a lifetime achievement award.
The 11th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards were presented on Saturday at the Shrine Exposition Centre in Los Angeles.
- AP