Los Angeles, USA – The 31st Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards delivered several surprises on Sunday night, with Timothée Chalamet securing Best Actor for A Complete Unknown, while Conclave won Best Ensemble, shaking up the race for the upcoming Academy Awards.

Edward Berger’s Vatican thriller Conclave, starring Ralph Fiennes, emerged victorious just as Pope Francis remained in critical condition following an asthmatic respiratory crisis. Accepting the award on behalf of the cast, Isabella Rossellini conveyed the ensemble’s best wishes for the ailing pontiff. Conclave’s win, coupled with its earlier success at the BAFTAs, has reopened the competition for Best Picture at the Oscars.

Meanwhile, Chalamet’s unexpected victory over frontrunner Adrien Brody (The Brutalist) has intensified the battle for Best Actor at the Academy Awards. Portraying Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown, Chalamet expressed deep gratitude for the role, calling Dylan “a true American hero.”

In more predictable results, Demi Moore (The Substance), Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez), and Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain) won in their respective categories, reinforcing their Oscar frontrunner status. The SAG Awards have historically been a strong indicator of Academy Award winners, with nearly all recent acting winners going on to claim Oscar gold.

In the television categories, Shōgun continued its award season dominance, winning Best Drama Series Ensemble alongside individual wins for Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai. Only Murders in the Building took Best Comedy Ensemble, while Jean Smart (Hacks) and Martin Short (Only Murders in the Building) won Best Female and Male Actor in a Comedy Series. Colin Farrell secured his first SAG Award for The Penguin, introduced by Jamie Lee Curtis in a humorous nod to a past Golden Globes COVID-19 incident.

The night also saw a politically charged speech from Jane Fonda, who received the guild’s Life Achievement Award. Without directly naming Donald Trump, she urged action in what she called “our documentary moment.”

The awards, which were telecast live on Netflix, have added fresh unpredictability to the awards season. With just a week to go until the Oscars, the SAG results have injected new momentum for Conclave and A Complete Unknown. However, the ultimate victors at the Academy Awards remain uncertain. One thing is clear: the battle between Chalamet and Brody for Best Actor will be one to watch.