Sunday night got political at the SAG Awards as winners used the time to comment about politics. Speeches were emotionally charged, powerful, and passionate as everyone made some reference to what was going on in the world.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who won for Veep: “I want you all to know that I’m the daughter of an immigrant. My father fled religious persecution in Nazi-occupied France. And I’m an American patriot and I love this country. And because I love this country, I am horrified by its blemishes. And this immigrant ban is its blemish and it’s un-American… Our guilds are unions of storytellers who have always welcomed those from other nations, and of varying beliefs, who wish to share their creativity with America. We are grateful to them. We stand with them. We will fight for them.”
Viola Davis, who won for Fences: “What August did so beautifully is he honored the average man, who just so happened to be a man of color. And sometimes we don’t have to shake the world and move the world and create anything that is gonna be in the history book.”
The most powerful speech of the night came from Moonlight’s Mahershala Ali, who said, “I think what I’ve learned from working on Moonlight is, we see what happens when you persecute people. They fold into themselves.” He added that while his mom is an ordained minister and he’s a Muslim, they get along because they have to. “We kinda get caught up in the minutiae of details that make us all different. I think there’s two ways of seeing that. There’s an opportunity to see the texture of that person, the characteristics that make them unique and there’s an opportunity to go to war about it and say that that person is different from me and I don’t like you so let’s battle. We put things to the side and I’m able to see her. She’s able to see me.”
Taraji P. Henson and the cast of Hidden Figures took to the stage to accept the SAG Award for Best Ensemble said Hidden Figures was a film about what happens when we put our differences aside. She said, “This story is of unity. This story is about what happens when we put our differences aside and we come together as a human race. We win. Love wins. Every time. Thank you so much for appreciating the work we’ve done. Thank you so much for appreciating these women. They are hidden figures no more.”
On a lighter note, Lily Tomlin delivered a hilarious acceptance speech as she received the Lifetime Achievement award from Nine to Five costar, Dolly Parton.
Watch the full speeches below:
Mahershala Ali – Outstanding Performance By Actor Best Supporting Actor – Moonlight
Hidden Figures – Outstanding Performance By Cast In A Motion Picture
Viola Davis – Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Denzel Washington – Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Outstanding Performance in an Ensemble in a Drama Series. Stranger Things
Lily Tomlin – 53rd Annual SAG Life Achievement Award
