Screen Actors Guild Awards 2024

Warning – this blog contains name dropping of the severest nature

Life can change pretty quickly if you’re an actor.

Just four weeks ago, I hadn’t had an audition in nine months, it was still January and the notion of sunshine and fun times was at best a long way off.

But within a week, I was pencilled for an acting job and I had an invitation to the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards.

Funny.

Of course, the invitation wasn’t mine personally – but for an event like the this, I was more than happy to be the plus-one.

After all, this wasn’t just a ticket to an awards ceremony. This was a ticket to making dreams a reality.

People talk about getting your foot in the door – well I wasn’t just sending my foot. I was sending the lot – warts ‘n all.

And what an experience it was.

FLYING THE SAG FOR PLUS ONES

I first visited Los Angeles in 2012. I’d flown out with my significant other (in comedy) on a half promise to network.

It didn’t go to plan – the person we went to meet and network through wasn’t in town so it was an expensive holiday that neither of us could afford.

Bad luck.

But fun was had all the same. And monthly reminders were felt for years after in the form of credit card statements.

It truly was a trip we’d never forget.

So to be given the opportunity to fly out there again, invited by my significant other (in life) as his plus-one… well let’s just say I was thrilled to say the least.

Now I’ve played the plus-one more times than I care to remember. Sometimes it’s fun, sometimes it’s downright lousy.

If you’re the plus-one at a friend of a friend’s sweaty gig above a pub, it’s less glam than if you’re the plus-one at the premiere of the latest Sir Ian McKellen play, say.

It depends on whose arm you’re on and what the event is – start there and see how it goes.

But being flown out to LA, put up in a fancy hotel with a car taking you here, there and everywhere all to get you ready to attend one the biggest award ceremonies in the world – that ranks higher than seeing Showaddywaddy at MFN.

A SAG FOR LIFE

After a morning of Champagne, room-service breakfast, pampering, grooming and a walk down Santa Monica to steady the nerves/kill an hour (it was a long morning) we were all set.

The London Hotel off Sunset Boulevard quickly proved why it gets to accommodate the stars. It so effortlessly turned itself into a slick military operation with cars, clipboards and cologne filling the lobby. We were in our car swiftly and immediately stuck in LA traffic. Sandwiched between Oprah in the car ahead and Danielle Brooks in the car behind, we made for a disappointing filling. Certainly for the paparazzi.

That’s not to say we didn’t deserve our place, we weren’t competition winners.

Adam Colborne is the definition of a rising star. His part in Ted Lasso is a stand-out because he made it so. And off the back of a string of other films and TV shows he’s appeared in – let’s just say I’m looking forward to being kept in the manner in which I deserve.

But we’re not there yet.

The drive from the hotel to the venue is eye-opening to say the least. It’s no secret that LA has a homelessness problem. Driving down San Vicente and through Downtown Los Angeles really is something.

A convoy of cars carrying the Hollywood elite (and us), money no object (for them) against a backdrop of poverty, drug addiction and desperation.

You can draw your own conclusions.

So we arrive at the Shrine Auditorium. I suspect it’d be easier to get into Fort Knox than it would be to get into the Shrine uninvited. There are personal security passes, limo passes, photo ID and six ID checkpoints before we get through.

And then you’re in. Well, in the queue anyway.

And it’s not at all what you’d expect from something like this. Imagine a queue for Heaven on a Saturday night – only the line isn’t pissed twinks and their admirers – it’s A-list celebrities and their partners.

Behind me (in the queue, not in life) stood Paul Giamatti and Jonathan Pryce. In front, Cillian Murphy and Ed McVey (ok so there was one twink).

No cocktails to help pass the time. Just bottled water and a straw.

Then you’re on the carpet. The famous carpet. It’s long. With SAG photo opportunities down one side and press pens down the other – People, Variety and many more all wanting a quick moment with the stars.

We took a steady walk – Adam did a few junkets while I twiddled the tassels of my tux. Before we knew it, they were calling everyone to take their seats. That’s when your Robert Downey Jr.’s, Jennifer Aniston’s, Selena Gomez’s and Pedro Pascal’s arrive – hurrying past the press and me.

No pissing around in lines for them.

GOOD LOOKS OR GOOD LUCK?

With two minutes and forty-five seconds until the Netflix live broadcast would commence, we frantically ran around the hall looking for table 18. With thanks to a Ted Lasso cast member saving us from further embarrassment, we sat down and poured a big drink.

As the ceremony went on, I couldn’t help but notice how amazingly positioned our table was. Nestled between the cast of The Bear, Brie Larson and Jodie Foster, it was hard to pick your nose or shuffle a knacker without fear of it being broadcast.

And broadcast we were – what a delight.

I see now why Robert De Niro and the cast of Succession were happy to plonk themselves down somewhere a bit less centrally.

And as winners took to the stage, VTs rolled and guest appearances were made, I started to find the whole thing profoundly moving.

This wasn’t just a bunch of Hollywood stars anymore – seen only on screen. They were people. People in dresses that got in the way. People in suits and shirts that cut uncomfortably into necks. Armpits itched. Sweat dripped.

They had plus-ones.

And the one thing that kept coming up in speeches was a nod to how lucky they were. All of them said it. Including Barbra Streisand.

I was in a room with talented people, absolutely no doubt about it.

But really I was in a room with the luckiest people in the world. And hearing that over and over really opened my eyes.

It’s a tough pill to swallow as an actor. We’re often told “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know” or “you just need that lucky break.”

But no actor wants to hear that or believe that.

If you’re talented and driven, then you assume that you’ll pull through. That you’ll make it.

But talent and drive are merely pre-requisites. Us actors need more than that – and it’s not something you can plan for, unfortunately.

So if someone says good luck, take it. Be open minded. Manifest if you have to.

Do what you can to find that luck. Because it really can happen to anyone. It just can’t happen to everyone.

And remember, when I started this story it seemed like nothing was on the horizon.

Doesn’t all this prove the point that luck can emerge at any time, then? That call. That audition. That meeting. It might just be waiting for you in tomorrow’s inbox.

You don’t know what the future has in store.

So try and enjoy the ride. Just remember to buckle in, because this ride is one helluva rollercoaster.

Good luck.  

DL x