(CNN) Without commercial interruptions or rushed acceptance speeches, Sunday’s Screen Actors Guild Awards, which aired on Netflix’s YouTube channel, was one of the most relaxed awards events in recent memory.
If you were one of the million viewers who watched the show, you may have felt a little more in the room than at home. Without a network or linear broadcast partner, the show seemed unfiltered, with glimpses of stars mingling between presentations and plenty of speeches peppered with uncensored expletives.
Seated at a central table near the stage was Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos. The streaming giant will become the new home of the SAG Awards next year, and Sarandos, who appeared occasionally beaming on Sunday, may have given ratings-challenged awards shows a formula for future success: keep it straight.
Awards events are reduced in public discourse to a few moments of genuine emotion and humor that lend themselves to social media feeds and morning talk shows. The pace of Sunday’s SAG Awards seemed to allow for more.
Here are some of the highlights of the event that you may have missed:
James Hong, the nonagenarian charmer
Jamie Lee Curtis, from left, James Hong and Michelle Yeoh.
The cast of ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ took turns celebrating and dancing to their best overall victory, before handing the stage over to James Hong, one of the film’s stars. The 94-year-old actor spoke with humor and heart about his long career in an industry where he faced a lot of discrimination.
“My first movie was with Clark Gable, but back then the lead role was played by these guys with their eyes taped together, and they talked like that,” Hong said, mimicking the offensive accent that was written for the characters. Asians at the time. “The producer said Asians weren’t good enough and they (were) not at the box office, but look at us now.”
“I hope I come back when I’m 100,” Hong said.
Austin Butler, the quintessential gentleman
Austin Butler escorts Sally Field on stage at the SAG Awards.
‘Elvis’ star Austin Butler was captured by cameras offering his arm to help escort honorees like Sally Field and Jennifer Coolidge onto the stage.
His “darling” chivalry has not gone unnoticed on Twitter.
Aubrey Plaza and Jenna Ortega, the not weird couple
Jenna Ortega, left, and Aubrey Plaza present the award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series.
Deadpan duo Aubrey Plaza and Jenna Ortega had one of the funniest presentations of the night. The two rhetorically wondered why they were paired to present the award for Best Male Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries.
“We should find the people who did this,” Plaza said, before Ortega joined in and the two said in unison, “and curse their families, and watch misfortune follow their bloodline for the next seven generations.”
Golden Black Comedy.
Colorful adverbs
Lisa Ann Walter, Quinta Brunson and Sheryl Lee Ralph accept the award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.
Quinta Brunson, creator and star of “Abbott Elementary,” was among several actors to include a few well-timed swear words on stage.
“They’re the best, and they’re so funny all the time, y’all,” Brunson said of his sitcom casting.
“I’m in awe of every single one of them at every turn and we just want to say thank you and (we’re) honored to be in the category with such amazing shows with amazing actors, our peers,” Brunson continued. “The price of peers is different, isn’t it? I feel good… So, thank you!”
We did not miss the beeps.
Winners to encourage
Brendan Fraser accepts the award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role for ‘The Whale’.
Brendan Fraser, who won Best Performance by a Lead Actor for his role in ‘The Whale,’ was one of many winners to deliver a poignant acceptance speech that brought audiences to tears with him .
“He’s someone who’s on a wave of regret, but he’s on a sea of hope, and I’ve been in that sea and I’ve ridden that wave,” Fraser said of his character in the movie. “Any actor who’s been through this or is going through this, I know how you feel. But believe me, if you stay in there and put one foot in front of the other, you’ll get to where you have to go.”
The historic victories of Ke Huy Quan and Michelle Yeoh as the first Asian actors to win their respective categories filled the hall with excitement and had the crowd on fire.
Fellow castmate Jamie Lee Curtis acknowledged her “nepo-baby” privilege as the daughter of two actors during her Best Supporting Actress acceptance speech, but it’s hard to criticize the success when he is so sincerely received.
“I know so many people in our industry who are actors can’t do this job, and you look at nights like this and think, ‘Is this going to be possible for me?’ And I know you’re looking at me and thinking ‘nepo baby’, that’s why she’s there, and I totally get it,” Curtis said. “But the truth is, I’m 64, and that’s just unbelievable.”