Yahoo News Helena Bonham Carter Accepts The Crown’s SAG Award, Says Cast Is Back to Work Tomorrow
The cast of The Crown had a lot of reasons to smile on Sunday.
At the 2020 Screen Actors Guild Award, they were named the winners of the outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series award — beating out the casts from Big Little Lies, Game of Thrones, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Stranger Things for the top prize. It’s the first SAG win and third nomination for the series.
Helena Bonham Carter, who plays Princess Margaret, leaped to the stage to accept the award alongside Josh O’Connor (Prince Charles) and Erin Doherty (Princess Anne).
“My son’s here — and obviously winning doesn’t mean anything,” Bonham Carter, 53, joked before paying tribute to the entire cast of the Netflix show.
“Actually there are 249 members of The Crown cast and we’re all working tomorrow and leaving in five minutes,” Bonham Carter shared.
“Thank you so much. Obviously, we’re all here because of other people’s work. Thanks, Nina Gold — and we wouldn’t be anywhere without the words. Thanks, Morgan,” Bonham Carter said before also thanking Netflix.
“It’s the most fun job and I’m amazed that we get a prize on top of the fun doing it. I’ve had the time of my life.”
Bonham Carter concluded her speech by hilariously recommending the show to the audience.
“It’s amazing, how well-produced this thing is.”
In alphabetical order, the actors also included in the prize are: Marion Bailey, Olivia Colman, Charles Dance, Ben Daniels, Erin Doherty, Charles Edwards, Tobias Menzies, Josh O’Connor, Sam Phillips, David Rintoul and Jason Watkins.
The Crown, a historical drama about the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, was created and is principally written by Peter Morgan.
It premiered on Netflix in 2016 and has aired three seasons so far. Sunday’s win came for the third season, which kicked off back in November and switched up the entire cast with older actors.
The show is intended to last 60 episodes over six seasons, each taking on a different chapter of Elizabeth’s life, from her younger years to her time on the throne.
Claire Foy portrayed her majesty in the first two seasons, while Colman took over the role for season 3 and the upcoming fourth season. Menzies plays Prince Philip, and Bonham Carter, Princess Margaret.
Both Colman and Bonham Carter were nominated for acting SAG Awards for their roles. Colman previously said she felt awestruck by portraying the iconic royal.
“I remember when I first went into makeup, I looked in the mirror and thought, ‘I’ve got the queen’s hair!’ ” Colman told USA Today. “But then it soon becomes a job, a costume, a script to learn. I’m really trying not to think of it as quite the big thing that it is.”
The gig now feels like second nature to her, she said. “It’s interesting because, series 3, for me, was like doing a historical piece,” Colman told Entertainment Weekly. “Now, it feels less like that and more, I remember that! I remember that voice! I remember that moment! It feels quite different. We had our read-through and to hear the voices of Margaret Thatcher and all of that, it’s quite fun.”
Last year, the cast of This Is Us won the SAG Award for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series, triumphing over the cast of The Americans, Better Call Saul, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Ozark.
Other casts who have won in this category over the past two decades have included the stars of Downton Abbey, Breaking Bad, Boardwalk Empire, Mad Men, The Sopranos, Grey’s Anatomy, Lost, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Six Feet Under and The West Wing.
The 26th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards are airing live Sunday starting at 8 p.m. ET on TNT and TBS.
