‘American Hustle’ takes top prize at SAG awards

American Hustle has taken the top prize at the Screen Actors Guild awards, proving it has the momentum to potentially take the Best Picture crown at the upcoming Oscars.

Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner, Louis C.K., Paul Herman, Jack Huston, Alessandro Nivola, Michael Peña, Elisabeth Rohm, and Shea Whigham were all named as recipients of the SAG’s ensemble award (their closest thing to Best Picture).

Robert De Niro joined the cast as they accepted the accolade, despite not being nominated as one of the film’s castmembers. (His cameo was uncredited.)

Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club) and Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine) continued their unrivalled winning streak by taking home Best Actor and Actress, respectively.

McConaughey’s Dallas co-star, Jared Leto, was named Best Supporting Actor, while Lupita Nyong’o picked up Best Supporting Actress for her turn in 12 Years a Slave, besting category favourite Jennifer Lawrence (the only American Hustle star to score a solo nom).

Over in TV, the stars of Breaking Bad’s ensemble took the top prize, and Bryan Cranston earned Best Actor in a Drama. Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey) won Best Actress in a Drama.

Modern Family‘s ensemble continued their four-year winning streak, and Ty Burrell became the first cast-mate to win an individual award for his turn on the show. Julia Louis-Dreyfus collected Best Actress in a Comedy for her work in Veep.