Sinners and The Studio Take Home the Gold at 32nd Actor Awards

Image Courtesy of Entertainment Weekly

By Luis Zonenberg

Following hot off the trails of the 79th British Academy of Film and Television (BAFTA) Awards, we are closing in on the last inning of Oscars season. Before they rolled out the red carpet for the Academy Awards, they decided to honor the best performances of the year at the 32nd annual Actors Awards. The event was livestreamed on Netflix for the third consecutive year, with Kristen Bell returning to host after hosting last year. 

This was also the first ceremony to be titled the “Actors Awards,” after SAG-AFTRA switched from the original “Screen Actors Guild Awards” title. The change was announced on November 14, 2025, with the intention of aligning the name of the awards show with the names of the actual statues handed out to the winners. The showrunner and executive producer of the telecast, John Brockett, said in an interview, “Since the beginning, our statue has been called ‘The Actor,’ and we’re a show that’s entirely about actors, so this new name is a perfect next step in the show’s evolution.” 

There were certainly many surprises at this year’s ceremony, with the biggest arguably being Michael B. Jordan receiving the award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role for his dual performance of the Smokestack twins in the movie, Sinners.  “I’m so honored and privileged to be nominated in categories with people and actors and humans that I love, and I love their work, and what you contribute to our craft,” Jordan said upon receiving his award. “This ride has been unbelievable, so thank you for welcoming me and making me feel seen.” 

On top of Michael B. Jordan’s tremendous win, the entire cast of Sinners collectively received the award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, the biggest award of the event! There were certainly many other surprises, such as Amy Madigan receiving the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role for her portrayal of Aunt Gladys in Zach Cregger’s Weapons. One Battle After Another star, Sean Penn, received the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role award for his portrayal of Col. Steve Lockjaw in the film. 

While there were many actors awarded for their roles in various films, there were also a large number of actors recognized for their performances in TV shows as well. Keri Russell received the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series for her portrayal of the U.S. Ambassador to the U.K., Kate Wyler, in The Diplomat. Meanwhile, Noah Wyle made history receiving the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series award for his performance in The Pitt. Wyle is now one of the few to achieve the American Quartet of Television Awards (Emmy, Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice, and Actor’s Awards)! 

A rather bittersweet moment was when Catherine O’Hara posthumously received the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series. “I know she would have been honored to receive this award from her fellow performers, who I know she respected so much,” actor Seth Rogen remarked as he accepted the award on O’Hara’s behalf. “Something that I’ve just been marveling at was really her ability to be generous and kind and gracious while never, ever minimizing her own talents and her own ability to contribute to the work that we were doing.” 

Rogen was previously on stage accepting the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series before giving a sweet tribute to star Catherine O’Hara. He would later return with the cast of The Studio since they collectively won the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series award. The Studio ended up receiving three awards altogether, with Rogen on stage to accept all three awards on behalf of the cast and crew. 

Another notable highlight of the evening was when Harrison Ford went on stage to receive the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award. “I feel incredibly grateful for this kind of attention. But to be clear, I also am quite humbled. I am in a room of actors, many of whom are here because they’ve been nominated to receive a prize for their amazing work, while I’m here to receive a prize for just being alive, ” Ford remarked in his speech. “I struggled for about 15 years, going from acting job to carpentry and back to acting until I finally got a part in a wildly successful film. None of this happened on my own. Thank you, George Lucas. Thank you, Steven Spielberg.” 

The ceremony was certainly one of the better award shows streamed over the last two months. With few commercials and plenty of admiration for the performers being honored that night, the 32nd annual Actors Awards was a wonderful event that honored some of the best actors currently working in the industry. With this setting the stage for the upcoming 98th Academy Awards ceremony, it will be interesting to see which stars take home the gold by the time the red carpet rolls out for them. 

The 98th Academy Awards will air live on ABC and Hulu on Sunday, March 15, 2026.