‘Birdman’ takes home top prize at SAG Awards

LOS ANGELES — “Birdman” nabbed the top prize of the night at the 21st annual Screen Actors Guild awards, winning best cast in a film. The story of actors putting on a Broadway play, it won the ensemble award over “Boyhood,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “The Imitation Game” and “The Theory of Everything.”

It was a big weekend for “Birdman,” which won the Darryl F. Zanuck award for best picture from the Producers Guild of America on Saturday night.

The winner of the SAG ensemble trophy has matched the Oscar best picture winner just nine times in 19 years, and last year “American Hustle” won the SAG cast award and was shut out at the Oscars.

The SAG winners have a stronger Oscar predictor record in the individual categories. The last 10 winners of the SAG best actor award have gone on to win the Oscar, including Matthew McConaughey last year for “Dallas Buyers Club.”

Julianne Moore won the best actress in a film award for “Still Alice,” while Eddie Redmayne won best actor in a film for “The Theory of Everything.”

The cast of “Downton Abbey” took home the prize for best ensemble in a drama series. It’s the second drama series win for the show, which won two years ago — “Breaking Bad” won last year.

Viola Davis nabbed the best actress in a drama series award for “How to Get Away With Murder,” while Kevin Spacey won best actor in a drama series for “House of Cards.”

Davis won the best actress SAG Award for “The Help” three years ago, then lost out on the Oscar to Meryl Streep for “The Iron Lady.”

“We don’t want to keep seeing these fictionalized versions of women,” Davis said backstage while celebrating her win.

Frances McDormand won best actress in a TV movie or miniseries for “Olive Kitteridge,” and Mark Ruffalo took home the prize for male actor in a TV movie or miniseries for HBO’s “The Normal Heart.” Ruffalo, along with Spacey, was a no-show to the ceremony.

McDormand portrayed a retired schoolteacher in “Olive Kitteridge.” The award came 18 years after she took the SAG award and the Oscar for her portrayal of pregnant police chief Marge Gunderson in “Fargo.”

In the middle of the show, Debbie Reynolds was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by her daughter Carrie Fisher.

“One of my favorite movies was ‘The Unsinkable Molly Brown’ and there’s a song, ‘I Ain’t Done Yet.’ Well, I ain’t,” Reynolds concluded her acceptance speech.

J.K. Simmons won best supporting actor for “Whiplash,” while Patricia Arquette nabbed supporting actress for “Boyhood.” Arquette won the Golden Globe two weeks ago for supporting actress.

“Each of us is completely crucial to the story,” Simmons said during his speech. “I would like thank the 49 actors who appear in ‘Whiplash.’”

Simmons also won at the Golden Globes and is widely regarded as the most likely to win at the Oscars, as is Arquette. Arquette, whose father was actor Lewis Arquette, acknowledged her family.

“I can’t tell you what this means to me,” she said. “I’m a fourth-generation actor. My family have been committed actors for over a century, through feast or famine.”

The cast of “Orange is the New Black” won best ensemble in a comedy TV series. “Modern Family” had won the comedy ensemble trophy for four consecutive years before Netflix’s “Orange is the New Black” took the crown.

William H. Macy won best actor in a comedy series for “Shameless,” just after Uzo Aduba won best actress in a TV comedy for “Orange is the New Black.”

“I’ve written so many great acceptance speeches that I’ve never gotten to give,” Macy, who won in 2003 for TV movie “Door to Door,” said during his acceptance speech.

“The day I got I got this job is the day I stopped acting,” a tearful Aduba said in her acceptance.

The stunt performers of “Unbroken” and “Game of Thrones” were the first winners at the SAG Awards, announced Sunday before the official ceremony on the red carpet.

The show was held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.