If the Academy Awards is historically the belle of the ball that is awards season, then the SAG Awards may be its less popular, but arguably much cooler, little sister. Just ask a TV or film actor: When it comes to recognition of one’s work, the Oscar may be the industry pinnacle, but being chosen by one’s professional peers to receive a Screen Actors Guild award is often the sweetest — and most telling — reward.
Generally, the SAG Awards offer a tease of what talents and projects might triumph on Oscar night. Similarly, it’s yet another opportunity for the season’s nominees to show up and show out for each other on the event’s red carpet. While for television stars, the SAG Awards are typically the last major awards red carpet until September’s Emmy Awards, for those in film, it is yet another chance to ramp up the glamour to the Academy Awards, taking place this year on Sunday, March 12.
As if ushering in the sunshine, Black stars brought vibrance to the 2023 SAG Awards red carpet, most notably via the citron yellow chosen by three of the night’s nominees. Niecy Nash-Betts (in Vera Wang), Viola Davis (in Valentino) and Angela Bassett (in Giambattista Valli Haute Couture) all wore the highlighter yellow hue, setting off their brown skin to glowing perfection.
For Zendaya and stylist Law Roach, spring came early; the perennial red carpet star wore a petal pink satin strapless gown by Valentino Haute Couture, adorned with hundreds of handcrafted roses on its skirt and train. And, just as at Saturday night’s NAACP Image Awards, Zendaya treated fans to a second look, donning a black-and-pastel colorblocked strapless silk gown by Giorgio Armani Prive to take the stage as a presenter. Nominated for “Euphoria,” Zendaya’s bobbed haircut, which made headlines in December, proved to have launched a trend, as many fellow celebs debuted similar looks on Sunday.
“Till” star Danielle Deadwyler also leaned into spring, wearing a silver and coral sequined gown with a petal-like scallop-tiered skirt by Louis Vuitton. And as we eagerly await the premiere of the live-action reboot of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” starring Halle Bailey, sea-inspired motifs also abounded; the bodice of Quinta Brunson’s beaded black-and-white Jean-Louis Sabaji gown was shaped like a seashell, while Angela Bassett nodded to the underwater world in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” with a clutch crafted in the shape of a conch shell.
What other stars made the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards red carpet a success? Check out our gallery below to see how Black Hollywood turned out to recognize their peers.
Quinta Brunson in Jean-Louis Sabaji
Quinta Brunson attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on Feb. 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Quinta Brunson
Quinta Brunson attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on Feb. 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Danielle Deadwyler in Louis Vuitton
Danielle Deadwyler attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on Feb. 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Zendaya in Valentino Haute Couture
Zendaya attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on Feb. 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Zendaya
Zendaya attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on Feb. 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Sheryl Lee Ralph in Tadashi Shoji
Sheryl Lee Ralph attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on Feb. 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Janelle James in Rodarte
Janelle James attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on Feb. 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Julius Tennon and Viola Davis in Valentino
(Left to right) Julius Tennon and Viola Davis attend the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on Feb. 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Tyler James Williams in Thrash Bespoke
Tyler James Williams attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on Feb. 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Sheila Atim in Christopher John Rogers
Sheila Atim attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on Feb. 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Angela Bassett in Giambattista Valli Haute Couture
Angela Bassett attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on Feb. 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Ariana DeBose in Prabal Gurung
Ariana DeBose attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on Feb. 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Ayo Edebiri in Emilia Wickstead
Ayo Edebiri attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on Feb. 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Jessica Williams in Rosie Assoulin
Jessica Williams attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on Feb. 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Jessica Betts and Niecy Nash-Betts in Vera Wang
(Left to right) Jessica Betts and Niecy Nash-Betts attend the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on Feb. 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Giancarlo Esposito
Giancarlo Esposito attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on Feb. 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Jason Winston George
Jason Winston George attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on Feb. 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Antonia Gentry in Celine
Antonia Gentry attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on Feb. 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
William Stanford Davis
William Stanford Davis attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on Feb. 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Carl Clemons-Hopkins
Carl Clemons-Hopkins attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on Feb. 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Edwin Lee Gibson
Edwin Lee Gibson attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on Feb. 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Caleb McLaughlin in Casablanca
Caleb McLaughlin attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on Feb. 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Kal Smith
Kal Smith attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on Feb. 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Tramell Tillman
Tramell Tillman attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on Feb. 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Liza Colón-Zayas
Liza Colón-Zayas attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on Feb. 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Lionel Boyce
Lionel Boyce attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on Feb. 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Jessica Frances Dukes in Marc Bouwer
Jessica Frances Dukes attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on Feb. 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Janine Rubenstein
Janine Rubenstein attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on Feb. 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Josh Otusanya
Josh Otusanya attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on Feb. 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Dai Time
Dai Time attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on Feb. 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Corey Hendrix
Corey Hendrix attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on Feb. 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Zuri Hall in Monsoori
Zuri Hall attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on Feb. 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Jovan Adepo
Jovan Adepo attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on Feb. 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Zach Cherry
Zach Cherry attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on Feb. 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Gina Prince-Bythewood
Gina Prince-Bythewood attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on Feb. 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Owen Thiele
Owen Thiele attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on Feb. 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Quinta Brunson in Jean-Louis Sabaji
Quinta Brunson attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on Feb. 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
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