Jessica Chastain honoured the late Philip Seymour Hoffman as she picked up the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series accolade at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday (26.02.23).
Jessica Chastain won the Limited Series Female Actor prize
The 45-year-old actress - who scooped the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role award at last year's ceremony - was honoured for her role as Tammy Wynette in 'George and Tammy' and offered a motivational message to aspiring and struggling actors, which echoed what the late star had told her years earlier.
She said: "I'm doing a show right now in New York, I'm doing 'A Doll's House' and every day after the show I get to meet people at the stage door and I meet a lot of actors, who tell me their stories and it reminds me of when I was in college, Philip Seymour Hoffman came to speak to my class and I told us all his frustrating stories about auditions and he encouraged us to keep going even when we thought no one was watching us.
"And he said at the end of the talk, 'I look forward to working with each of you'. It really shocked me because it was like he brought it into being. A few years later it came true and I had the opportunity to do a play with him.
"I'm telling this story right now because it reminds me of how powerful our mind is and what our thoughts can do, so I want to tell everyone who might be struggling at home, to all the actors I get to meet, 'Keep going, you're one job away. I look forward to working with you, I'll see you on set and I love you.' "
Jessica paid tribute to her fellow nominees, Emily Blunt ('The English'), Julia Garner ('Inventing Anna'), Niecy Nash Betts ('Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story'), and Amanda Seyfried ('The Dropout') before pledging to share her award with co-star Michael Shannon.
She said: "Thank you so much to the Screen Actors Guild Awards, I just have to recognise my fellow nominees -Amanda, Emily, Julia, Niecy - I have seen all of your performances and I am in awe of you and your talent, they're amazing...
"I share this with Michael Shannon, who I believe is one of our greatest working actors and it was a dream collaboration from day one and I wouldn't have got to day two without his support."
Meanwhile, Sam Elliott was stunned to win the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series award for his work on '1883'.
The 78-year-old actor - who won ahead of Steve Carrell ('The Patient'), 'Black Bird's Taron Egerton and Paul Walter Hauser, and Evan Peters ( ('Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story') - pulled out his notes to read his speech and told the audience at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles: "I wonder if anybody else is going to read anything? I do this because I didn't expect to be here and I've got 45 seconds to say it and I've already wasted half of that. What can I say in 45 seconds? After just receiving the most meaningful acknowledgement of my career from a group of my peers - many of whom I don't even know or know only from afar as a fan of their work.
"But I can say a thank you and tell you I'm honoured and grateful to be in your company, whether in this audience or watching at home.
"After seeing the work of my fellow nominees I'm not even sure if I should be standing up here - but I'm sure I'll get over it.
"I'm gonna treasure this gal because it comes from all of you, my brothers and sisters from SAG-AFRA. I'll treasure it as a constant reminder of '1883' and what a gift it was to all of us on both sides of the camera.
"To my incredible cast mates, there's a piece of this for all of you. Not only for who you are but for your beautiful work and helping me find the way. I love you all for that."
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