Take Your Seat on the |
4th Annual SAG Awards™ Acceptance Speeches
For Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
 Julia Louis-Dreyfuss / SEINFELD JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUSS: Um, thank you ver much. You know we have about…we have three shows left to do before we wend the season. It doesn’t seem that there are going to be many more opportunities to thank people publicly. So I’d like to very muck thank Jerry Seinfeld for being such a hard worker. He’s working tonight on an episode in the office. And I’d like to thank Jason Alexander and Michael Richards because they’re so much fun to work with. And I’d like to thank Glen Caddnick who is a great laugher and a great guy from Castle Rock. And, my husband, who’s a great husband and thanks a million. It’s always nice to win…and hello to everybody in the world. [Applause]
For Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Mini Series
Alfre Woodard / MISS EVERS’ BOYS  ALFRE WOODARD: Thank you. Thanks a whole lot, Actors. You have been really good to me and I want you all to know I appreciate it. I do appreciate it and from…um I get to stand up here tonight for a whole slu of people who were just acting up a storm in this movie. Laurence Fishburne, And Joe Martin, are any of them here? Joe, I don’t know what I deserved to be in the middle of that sandwich but it was really nice. Obba Babatunde’, Ossie Davis – its like tag team acting. It was just a great time. Craig Sheffer, Thom Gossom, My good sister Donzaleigh Abernathy – we laughed a lot. I think you do that when there’s so much to cry about. But, I want you to know I am inspired by you and I’m just trying to keep it real, Thanks. [Applause]
For Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor for a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Robin Williams / GOOD WILL HUNTING ROBIN WILLIAMS: Wow! Welcome to our town. Yep, it’s been four years here in Grover’s Corner. I feel like someone’s going to come out and say, “pappa mista.” Wow, this one – nice statue in a cold room. [Laugh] Okay, thank you. Thank you very much for this, I was sitting over there sweating like Marlon Brando after Thai food. [Laugh] I think you just got this off a Bentley. Thanks. I want to thank that young man over there. When I first met him I wanted to ask him for ID. I want tot thank Matt Damon and Ben Afflick for writing words that kick you in the soul. I want to thank Gus Van Sant for being so mellow to turn a teamster to bet (?). I want to thank the whole ensemble Stellan, Cole, Casey, Minni, everybody who made it. It’s like jazz, you just go there and rip. Thanks the people at South Boston because I want to go back. It’s a pisser. [Laugh] I want to thank that woman sitting over there who makes it very difficult to imagine life without her and this is ah… This award reminds me – they once asked Madam Dugold – What is the most important thing in life? She looked and said a penis. And they said Madam Dugold, what do you mean? And she said its so much better than unhappiness. So, thank you. [Applause]
For Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Julianna Margulies / ER  JULIANNA MARGULIES: I just learned a really important lesson tonight – to try the shoes on before you actually come to the award ceremony. [Laugh] Thank you so much, this is such an honor coming from my peers, to the women who were nominated along with me. I’m overwhelmed; I wasn’t expecting this at all. I have an incredible cast to thank. They have incredible mastered the art of throwing the line away on our show. Which I think most actors would agree is possible the hardest thing to do. And you ar so brilliant to work with. I have to give special thanks to my partner in crime, George Clooney. Who, although is not here tonight, really allows me to be free with my acting and gives me so much space. It’s a joy to work with you. George, wherever you are. To my incredible agent, Steve Dottenville - I would go on but Alfre Woodard really said it all at the Golden Globes, so I just second her emotions. Carrie Ross for her guidance and the writers and the producers, Lydia Woodward, Carol Flint …there’s too many people. You’re all wonderful. My family, I couldn’t be here tonight without you. And my true inspiration, I love you and thank you Ron. [Applause]
For Outstanding Performance by a Male in a Television Movie or Mini Series
Gary Sinise / GEORGE WALLACE GARY SINISE: Thank you. YEAH! I am really nervous here. And Uh, thank you Ted Turner, Brad Segal, Julie Wice, Nick Limbardo, TNT for making this movie and supporting our great director John Frankenheimer. Everytime you pushed and thank you John Framkenheimer for pushing as much as you did to make this movie. My family; my beautiful wife, Morra, for your courage, your strength, your support, your love, and your friendship…thank you honey. My agent Patrick Whitsel; my manager, Jerry Harrington, for their support. We have a great cast in George Wallace: Angelina Jolie, Clarence William III, Jo Don Baker, Teri Kenny and the beautiful Mary Winningham. These actors just...I mean [Applause] Everyone in this room knows what it’s like to be around actors when they’re coming at you. It just brings up the level of your own performance and it makes everything richer and it makes you invest so much more. I have to thank all my friends and fellow actors. Steppenwolf theatre in Chicago, for the great teachers they have been throughout my artistic life. That’s been my artistic home for over twenty years. And I got to tell you, just being in this room and looking at these people. Everyone in here has been a teacher to me. Jack Nicholson, I mean Jack Nicholson… you’re here man! He’s here! Jack, you’re here man. One Flew Over the Koko’s Nest, I mean China Town, Last Detail. Robert Duvall, Dustin Hoffman these people have excited a riot with in me and made me want to be an actor. Many of you people. I’ve learned so very much. Thank you. [Applause]
For Outstanding Performance by a Male in a Comedy Series
John Lithgow / 3rd ROCK FROM THE SUN JOHN LITHGOW: I am an actor. [Laugh] I figured out a long time ago that no body acts alone and that an actor is only as good as the people he acts with. So Jane Kurtin, Kristen Johnston, French Stewart, Joey Gordan-Levitt, Elmaria Wendel, Simbi Khali, Wayne Knight and all of our guest stars of last year. You have secured this for me for the second year in a row. Also, for the second year in a row our cast has been honored by a nomination for the best ensemble in a comedy. I am very, very proud to be in this group. Also, for the second year in a row you have nominated exactly the same five actors in this category: Chelsey, David, Jason, Michael and me. Now here’s an idea. How about an original comedy or an original drama, for that matter, with the five of us. Now there’s an ensemble I would love to be a part of. Among the five of us, we could make the Full Monte boys look to their laurels. Gentleman, name the date; the rest of you, thank you so much. [Applause]
KIM BASINGER: I’m just thrilled to be here. And wow, now I win. Thank you so much for this to all of my peers who voted for me. Part of my cast is over there. (Blows a kiss) Thank you so much. With out you this would’ve never been possible. Some how I feel I was just voted President of the class. But for recognizing me and honoring me with this thank you so very much. I am so grateful. [Applause] GLORIA STUART: Thank you. Well, after the birth of my beautiful, beautiful daughter this is the next best thing that has ever happened to me. I am so glad that Melvin Douglas said to me: wouldn’t you like to join the union? And I said: what’s that? And he said: well, you don’t have to work many, many hours overtime, uh we get fed more or less regularly, it’s a good idea. So I started working and it was wonderful. For this award; I dreamed of it for many, many years. I never thought it would happen. So, I want to thank Mally Finn for finding me, and James Cameron for hiring me and all the wonderful people that I ‘ve worked with since then. It’s been a great voyage, I am so grateful. I’ m so grateful, I’ll never be able to tell you how grateful. It’s a wonderful thing to be an actor. It’s a giving profession. It’s a warming profession. It’s imaginative. It’s an art. It’s everything that no other profession is and I’m very grateful. Thank you. [Applause]
For Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
Anthony Edwards / ER  ANTHONY EDWARDS: Thank you very much. First of all, my hair is off…my hat is off. [Laugh] I have a deep salute and great congratulations and admiration for the other actors in this category. I know what an hour is like. David and Jimmy and Dennis and Sam, I have great respect for you. And once again I am very fortunate to work with a tremendous ensemble of actors. A lot of them are here tonight: Laura and Noah and Gloria and Juliana and George and everybody, it’s a big love in there. And that’s when the acting works well cause that’s…we all work together. So I am a proud leader of that. And I thank them. And as always, this is only here (statue), and I am only here out of inspiration and love of my wife and my children. As we can all relate to, those of us who actually love people. [Laugh] So, thank you all and respect you all. Thank you. [Applause]
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
SEINFELD Jason Alexander George Castanza Michael Richards Cosmo Kramer Julia Louis-Dreyfuss Elaine Benes JASON ALEXANDER: We never do anything without our head writer and he couldn’t be here tonight. He always speaks for us. Jerry, (on phone with Jerry Seinfeld), let ‘s see if this works. MICHAEL RICHARDS: Jerry JASON ALEXANDER: (holding phone up to microphone) Jerry, go ahead. Can you speak up Jerry. America is watching. Well this has worked as well… What you tell me, I’ll tell them. No, they can’t hear you. No, they can’t hear you. MICHAEL RICHARDS: Translate JASON ALEXANDER: Say something nice. Jerry would like to thank his mother. We’d like to thank Jerry Seinfeld for his outstanding writing regardless of the fact that he’s never been nominated for anything, or won anything in nine years. He is still the richest and best looking star on television. [Applause] JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUSS: Thank you. JASON ALEXANDER: We’re very excited. Thank you very much. Thank you. MICHAEL RICHARDS: Thank you very much. [Applause] Elizabeth Taylor GREGORY PECK: As most of you probably know, Elizabeth Taylor can’t be here tonight because she’s still in the hospital. So she asked me to accept this award on her behalf. But not to worry Elizabeth herself has said many times: I am living example of what people can go through and survive. Here is what she asked me to say to all of you: I am so disappointed that I can’t be there with all of you tonight. Please know that I am watching. This award is especially important to me because its given by my peers. Not only for my first career, acting, but what has now become my life – the eradication of the AIDS epidemic. And its heartening to me that this community has risen to the challenge, which I am so proud to be a member, is no exception having made a very generous donation to the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. Thank you all for honoring me tonight. Love, Elizabeth [Applause] Get well. Dear Elizabeth, we all want you back. [Applause]
For Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
Laura Innes / ERLAURA INNES: On behalf of the cast I am very honored to accept this award. We’re so happy; We’re so grateful; we’re so fortunate to work together, to have a wonderful writing staff and producing staff. And be acknowledged in the company of the other actors who were also nominated. And I want to thank you very much to our peers. Thanks to our producers: Jon Wells, Lydia Woodward, and Carol Flint. Our wonderful crew are funny and smart and terrific; and our wonderful day players and guest players and reoccurring players. YES! They come in….[Applause] They come in every single day and they do amazing work and they jump on the speeding train and they open themselves up to us and we acknowledge them. Thank you so much. [Applause]
For Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture
Helen Hunt / AS GOOD AS IT GETS HELEN HUNT: Okay. I am a 25-year member of the Screen Actor’s Guild so I am very proud to get his award and to be singles out among these actresses is just unfathomable. Okay, so you get a dream part in a dream movie with your dream leading man and your dream director, who last nigh I heard Jim speak to the DGA and he talked about when actors stretch and that becomes a cliché for playing a part you’re not right for. But in truth that makes leaping out to some unknown and risking making a fool of yourself. And the fact that I got to work with someone who gets acting in that way, I just, its, its…an incredible, incredible thing. Then surprises like Kristi Zea and Brenda Johnson who descend and when there isn’t a woman for twenty paces and they’re there and are the goddesses of the movie. And I’d like to thank my acting teachers Gordan Hunt, Larry Moss, and Gary Austin – who I studied improv with for a million years. And the people that I studied with because the truth is that feeling that you get when working on a scene in an acting class is the feeling you get in a movie. Doing this from your heart is sort of the same thing. So I’d like to thank them lastly. My partner Connie Tavel, Happy Birthday. And my partner in life, Nathan. And lastly my publicist Steven Hubane, who everybody in this room knows how much he is responsible for this. We all know that people show up at these events because the people that we work with do their job. And mine do it in a soulful, heartful way. So I’m incredibly lucky and incredibly grateful. Thank you so much. [Applause]
For Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture
Jack Nicholson / AS GOOD AS IT GETS JACK NICHOLSON: As an experiment really tried not to think of anything to say tonight. You know I get to play so many parts and I think how lucky I am. I worked for 10 years and never got more that one-dollar more than the Screen Actor’s Guild minimum, not one. And I want to congratulate all the actors who worked this year. [Applause] I’m kind of a Patsy, I always get shook up. This movie, this movie is about a lot of things. This movie in particular, I felt, was about loving you. And I love what I do; I love all the people I get to do it with. I love Rebecca. In fact I love what we all did for Ms. Stuart tonight. I was just so happy. And you know Jim Brooks is a genius. But mainly I love Greg, Helen, all the people I worked with on this movie. Love is a word I never thought I could say in a scene. I appreciate and thank you all for this. [Applause]
For Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture
Mark Addy / FULL MONTE MARK ADDY: Thank you. The clothes will stay on. I am sorry to disappoint so many people at the same time. This is a tremendous surprise and a great honor. An on behalf of the cast of the Full Monty I’d like to thank everybody here. Peter Cattaneo - the director, Umburto Pasolini - the Producer, everyone at Fox Searchlight and Simon Beaufoy – the writer. And without a script like that we wouldn’t have anything to work from. Thank you. [Applause] |
