Netflix's “Squid Game,” the first non-English language series nominated by the actors guild, came on strong with three awards, including Lee Jung-jae for best male actor in a drama series and Jung Hoyeon for best female actor in a drama series. On stage, he thanked his wife for “reminding me to check my fly before walking the red carpet.” When his name was read, the 53-year-old veteran actor plunged his head into his hands. Kotsur won best supporting actor Sunday, becoming the first deaf actor win an individual SAG award. Matlin is the only deaf actor to win an Oscar, but her “CODA" co-star, Kotsur, may be in line to join her.
We look forward to more opportunities for deaf actors," said Matlin on stage before teaching the crowd sign language for “I love you.” "This validates the fact that we, deaf actors, can work just like anybody else. The film has been seen as a watershed moment for the deaf community in Hollywood. It culminated with “CODA," Sian Heder's heartwarming Apple TV+ coming-of-age film featuring a trio of deaf actors in Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur and Daniel Durant, along with newcomer Emilia Jones, winning best ensemble. The ceremony, held Sunday at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, and broadcast on both TNT and TBS, was notably border-breaking, with historic wins for deaf actors, Korean stars and some of Hollywood's biggest names.
In an upset, the deaf family drama “CODA” took top honors at an unpredictable and history-making 28th Screen Actors Guild Awards that also saw wins for the leads of “Squid Game," the cast of “Ted Lasso” and Will Smith.