SAG Awards 2015: The Biggest Snubs and Surprises

The SAG Awards are often seen as a good indicator of who will win the Oscars — actors make up the biggest part of the Academy voting body — but the biggest surprises at the ceremony were in the TV categories, including Netflix cleaning up and “Modern Family” finally getting snubbed. Still, Eddie Redmayne, along with “Birdman,” made for some surprises in the film races.

See below the 8 biggest snubs and surprises from the film and TV categories at the 2015 Golden Globes.

Surprise: Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything”
Going into the SAG Awards, lead actor was considered a showdown between Michael Keaton for “Birdman” and Eddie Redmayne for “The Theory of Everything.” Most were giving the edge to Keaton, a beloved veteran who showed a sense of humor playing a former superhero attempting a comeback. But in the end, it was Redmayne’s transformative performance as Stephen Hawking that took home the top prize.

Surprise: “Birdman,” Best Ensemble
“Birdman” winning the top prize isn’t such a surprise, but nothing was certain going into the ceremony thanks to stiff competition from the likes of “Boyhood” and “The Imitation Game.” But in the end, actors chose to reward a love letter to performers starring some of the best working today.

SURPRISE: Uzo Aduba, “Orange is the New Black”
Since SAG combines supporting and lead races into one category, she faced industry heavyweights like Edie Falco, Amy Poehler and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Her triumph shows that orange is indeed the new black in Hollywood.

SURPRISE: William H. Macy, “Shameless”
Even he was surprised, a fact Macy acknowledged in his acceptance speech. With the show’s gutsy category switch to comedy, he edged out last year’s champ, “Modern Family’s” Ty Burrell, as well as “Big Bang Theory” star and multiple Emmy winner Jim Parsons.

SNUB: “Modern Family”
Long a SAG favorite, the ABC sitcom went home empty-handed despite four nominations, losing in the comedy ensemble, actor, and actress races.

SNUB: Matthew McConaughey, “True Detective”
He never won a major award for the HBO anthology. He lost the Emmy to Bryan Cranston, the SAG Award to Kevin Spacey, and the Golden Globe to Billy Bob Thornton.

SURPRISE: “Downton Abbey”
In a night of upsets, the PBS upstairs/downstairs hit seemed a long shot to claim the top drama prize. Then again, it’s won before, and it’s always a sentimental favorite.

SURPRISE: Mark Ruffalo, “The Normal Heart”
He’s gone head-to-head with Billy Bob Thornton in the movies/mini race throughout awards season. This is his first win: Thornton won the Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Award (Benedict Cumberbatch claimed the Emmy).

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