VOA Special English
'Stranger Things' Wins Actors' Group Award

    2017/1/30

    This is What’s Trending Today.

    People on social media are talking about the 2017 Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards show. The event took place Sunday night in Los Angeles, California.

    Five young actors were as surprised as the crowd when they heard their show, "Stranger Things," had won the award for best drama series.

    Finn Wolfhard, from left, Gaten Matarazzo, Millie Bobby Brown, Noah Schnapp, and Caleb McLaughlin pose in the press room with the awards for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series for
    Finn Wolfhard, from left, Gaten Matarazzo, Millie Bobby Brown, Noah Schnapp, and Caleb McLaughlin pose in the press room with the awards for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series for "Stranger Things" at the 23rd annual Screen Actors Gu

    The young actors are from 12 to 15 years old. They jumped for joy as they got out of their seats to accept the award.

    The show "Stranger Things" is set in 1983. It tells about the disappearance of a young boy in a small Indiana town. His friends try to find him with the help of the boy's mother, played by Winona Ryder, and the local police chief, played by David Harbour.

    Accepting the award for the cast, Harbour said that actors can "change the world … and through our art … battle against fear, self-centeredness and exclusivity ... to cultivate a more empathetic and understanding society."

    During his speech, many people saw Ryder giving a number of facial expressions.

    Another group of less-known actors won the award for best cast in a motion picture. The movie "Hidden Figures" tells the story of three African-American women who were mathematicians. They helped the American space agency send a man to the moon. The film’s cast includes Mahershala Ali, who also won an award for outstanding performance by a male actor in a supporting role for "Moonlight."

    Denzel Washington won the award for outstanding performance by a male actor in a leading role for "Fences." The well-known actor had never before received a SAG award.

    The online service Netflix had a big night at the awards ceremony. Netflix won four awards. Among them was “Orange Is the New Black,” which won for best group of actors in a comedy series for the third time in three years. The series' lead actor, Taylor Schilling, spoke about the diversity of the cast.

    “We stand up here representing a diverse group of people, representing generations of families who have sought a better life here from places like Nigeria, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Ireland ... and we know that it's going to be up to us and all of you, probably, to keep telling stories that show what unites us is stronger than the forces that seek to divide us.”

    The next award ceremony for the movie industry will be the Academy Awards, which takes place on February 27.

    One nominee is Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, whose film "The Salesman" is nominated for best foreign language film. Farhadi says he will not attend the ceremony. He is protesting the new U.S. travel ban on Iran and six other countries.

    I’m Jill Robbins.

    Dr. Jill Robbins wrote this story for Learning English based on an Associated Press story by Lynn Elber and other sources. George Grow was the editor.

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    Words in This Story

    guild - n. an organized group of people who have joined together because they share the same job or interest

    cast - n. the actors in a play, film, or television show

    exclusive - adj. not shared; available to only one person or group

    empathize - v. to have the same feelings as another person

    diversity - n. the state of having a variety of types of people

    drama – n. a movie or television production with a story about a serious subject, such as conflict

    role – n. a part played by an actor

    comedy – n. a show with a happy ending; ahumorous production

    Now it’s your turn. What was your favorite TV show or movie for 2016? Who are your favorite actors? Write to us in the Comments section.

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    Here is a complete list of the SAG winners and nominees:

    Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

    Captain Fantastic
    Fences
    Hidden Figures
    Manchester by the Sea
    Moonlight

    Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

    Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
    Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge
    Ryan Gosling, La La Land
    Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic
    Denzel Washington, Fences

    Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

    Amy Adams, Arrival
    Emily Blunt, The Girl on the Train
    Natalie Portman, Jackie
    Emma Stone, La La Land
    Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins

    Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

    The Crown
    Downton Abbey
    Game of Thrones
    Stranger Things
    Westworld

    Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series

    Millie Bobby Brown, Stranger Things
    Claire Foy, The Crown
    Thandie Newton, Westworld
    Winona Ryder, Stranger Things
    Robin Wright, House of Cards

    Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

    Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
    Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
    John Lithgow, The Crown
    Rami Malek, Mr. Robot
    Kevin Spacey, House of Cards

    Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a TV Movie or Limited Series

    Riz Ahmed, The Night Of
    Sterling K. Brown, The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
    Bryan Cranston, All the Way
    John Turturro, The Night Of
    Courtney B. Vance, The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story

    Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a TV Movie or Limited Series

    Bryce Dallas Howard, Black Mirror
    Felicity Huffman, American Crime
    Audra McDonald, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill
    Sarah Paulson, The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
    Kerry Washington, Confirmation

    Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

    Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
    Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water
    Hugh Grant, Florence Foster Jenkins
    Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea
    Dev Patel, Lion

    Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

    Viola Davis, Fences
    Naomie Harris, Moonlight
    Nicole Kidman, Lion
    Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures
    Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea

    Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

    The Big Bang Theory
    Blackish
    Modern Family
    Orange Is the New Black
    Veep

    Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series

    Anthony Anderson, Blackish
    Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Ty Burrell, Modern Family
    William H. Macy, Shameless
    Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent

    Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series

    Uzo Aduba, Orange Is the New Black
    Jane Fonda, Grace and Frankie
    Ellie Kemper, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
    Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
    Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie

    Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble Captain America:

    Civil War
    Doctor Strange
    Hacksaw Ridge
    Jason Bourne
    Nocturnal Animals

    Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble

    Game of Thrones
    Daredevil
    Luke Cage
    The Walking Dead
    Westworld