Colin Firth and Natalie Portman walked away with the best actor and actress gongs at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards last night, while Brit movie The King’s Speech was crowned best film.
Firth is favourite to scoop the highly-coveted Best Actor award at the Oscars next month after picking up the SAG award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor for his role as King George VI in The King’s Speech. Earlier this month he picked up the equivalent awards at the Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice awards.
The SAG’s are voted for by members of the American film actors union. They are usually a good indication as to who will win at the Oscars as the actor branch makes up the largest chunk of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, the equivalent of Best Picture, unexpectedly went to The King’s Speech over favourite The Social Network.
This has thrown speculation over which film will win at the Oscars in to turmoil, with many suspecting the result could be the closest in years.
David Fincher’s The Social Network, which follows the founding and rise of Facebook, was previous favourite after walking away with the Best Motion Picture Golden Globe. But now it could be a close call with The King’s Speech and The Fighter both emerging as popular choices.
Natalie Portman, another Oscar favourite, scooped the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor award for her portrayal of a tortured ballerina in Black Swan.
