Sinners emerged as the big winner at this year’s Actor Awards (formerly the Screen Actors Guild Awards), taking home both best ensemble and best actor for Michael B. Jordan—a result that could shake up the Oscars race just weeks before the Academy Awards.
The vampire horror, directed by Ryan Coogler, has been a critical and commercial phenomenon, making history earlier this year with a record 16 Oscar nominations. But its path to best picture has faced stiff competition from Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, which has dominated the season with wins at the Directors Guild, Golden Globes, Producers Guild, and BAFTAs.
The best ensemble win at the Actor Awards—often a reliable Oscars bellwether—now puts Sinners firmly back in contention for Hollywood’s top prize.
Michael B. Jordan’s victory in the best actor category was equally significant. Considered by many to be the underdog against category favorite Timothée Chalamet (One Battle After Another), Jordan’s win could signal a shift in momentum with final Oscar voting still ongoing. He received a standing ovation as he accepted the award from presenter Viola Davis.
Jordan, 39, plays twin brothers Smoke and Stack in the film. He called the win “pretty cool,” adding: “Everybody that had something to do with this movie, you gave us your time and your talents and vulnerability and allowed me to do my best work.”
The ensemble award was collected by British-born actor Delroy Lindo, who told the audience: “From the bottom of our hearts to the bottom of your hearts, thank you so much for everything.”
The win provides a moment of celebration for the Sinners cast following an uncomfortable incident at last month’s BAFTAs, where a racial slur was shouted by a member of the audience as Jordan and Lindo presented the first award.
The voting window for the Actor Awards closed on Friday, five days after the BAFTAs ceremony. With the Oscars now just weeks away, the race for best picture and best actor is far from settled.
