'The Help' Sweeps SAGs, Oscars Next?
Are the Oscars "The Help's" to lose? The Civil Rights-era film about black maids and the white women they work for swept the Screen Actors Guild Awards Sunday night, with the cast taking home the biggest trophy of the night: Outstanding Performance By A Cast In A Motion Picture.
Co-stars Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer also walked away with awards for best actress and best supporting actress, respectively. The two offered up tearful acceptance speeches, with Spencer dedicating her trophy to the "downtrodden, underserved, underprivileged overtaxed, whether physically, emotionally or financially."
"It was a privilege to work on a film that spoke to so many women who made it possible for me to stand here tonight," Spencer said. "I thank you. By honoring me you honor them."
As she walked off stage, she screamed, "this is crazy!" The ante's about to be upped: Both Spencer and Davis are nominated for Oscars, and with trophies from the last major awards show to precede the Academy Awards (in addition to the Golden Globe Spencer earned earlier this month), they're all but guaranteed to get gold come Feb. 26.