Conclave's ensemble cast delivered the night's biggest shock at the 2024 Screen Actors Guild Awards, sparking immediate Oscar speculation just days before Academy voting closes. Ralph Fiennes, Isabella Rossellini, and John Lithgow accepted the ceremony's top prize amid roaring applause from A-list peers including Timothée Chalamet and Ariana Grande.
Backstage chaos unfolded as Harrison Ford nearly photobombed the winners' circle before discreetly exiting. 'I have to get my purse!' Rossellini declared mid-victory march, temporarily halting the procession. The papal drama's cast later mingled with industry legends at the Shrine Auditorium's makeshift statuette station, where Jane Fonda received heartfelt praise from Fiennes for her political speech.
'You expressed what no one is saying,' Fiennes told Fonda during their bar-side chat.
The win carries significant Oscar implications:
- Chalamet's Best Actor victory over Anora's ensemble favorite
- Three Conclave leads holding simultaneous SAG/Oscar nominations
- First-ever SAG ensemble winner without PGA or DGA recognition
Photographers captured Lithgow casually noting his third career SAG Award while 79-year-old Rossellini bear-hugged Fonda. Timothée Chalamet later joined the group, shouting 'Not bad, eh?' to Lithgow before demonstrating his statue's surprising heft with bicep curls.
As firefighters mingled with Wicked stars and union leaders warned about AI threats, the Conclave team ended their night getting awards engraved – potentially previewing an Oscar night rewrite. With SAG voters historically matching 80% of Academy acting choices, this upset could signal a seismic shift in Hollywood's awards landscape.
