Actors of colour sweep all major awards

The 27th Screen Actors Guild Awards honoured the year's best achievements in film and television performances. The one-hour, pre-taped show which was being held virtually did not have a host this year nor the usual banquet or red carpet.

The awards were announced in 15 different acting categories for both TV and films.

This year, the awards went to a group entirely of actors of colour, potentially setting the stage for a historically diverse slate of Oscar winners: Chadwick Boseman (Best Male Actor for 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom)'; Viola Davis (Best Female Actor for 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom'); Yuh-Jung Youn (Best Female Supporting Actor for 'Minari') and Daniel Kaluuya (Best Male Supporting Actor for 'Judas and the Black Messiah).

Boseman earned four nominations for his work in 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' and Spike Lee's 'Da 5 Bloods', making him the only actor to have tied with Jamie Foxx (2005) and Maggie Smith (2013) for the most nods in one year.

'Schitt's Creek' and 'Ted Lasso' were some of the top contenders in TV, whereas 'Da 5 Bloods', 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom', 'Minari' and 'The Trial of the Chicago 7' lead with three nominations each.

The starry cast of Aaron Sorkin's 1960s courtroom drama 'The Trial of the Chicago 7' took the top prize for 'Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture'. This win for the 'Netflix' film marked the first time a film from any streaming service won the guild's ensemble award. Gillian Anderson, who essayed the role of Margaret Thatcher in season four of the 'Netflix' series 'The Crown', took home the SAG award for 'Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series.

The awards ceremony also honoured Mark Ruffalo who deservedly picked up an award for his work in 'I Know This Much Is True'. The HBO miniseries saw the actor play dual roles of identical twin brothers Dominick and Thomas Birdsey.

For his impressive act, he won for an 'Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries' beating Bill Camp, Daveed Diggs, Hugh Grant, and Ethan Hawke.

"Acting does not happen in a vacuum. It happens between people in a magical place, created by a director like Derek Cianfrance and a writer like Wally Lamb. Mental illness is a real thing and I just think it is really important that we are honest and open about it and have no fear and no shame," he said.