Oppenheimer Dominates SAG Awards

"Oppenheimer" took top honors at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, as Hollywood stars partied at their union's first prize-giving gala since staging its longest-ever strike last year.

The prestigious prize for best performance by a cast at the SAG Awards is historically a strong predictor for the Oscars, and makes "Oppenheimer" a formidable frontrunner for best picture.

Christopher Nolan's epic drama about the father of the atomic bomb also took the awards for best actor for Cillian Murphy, who plays the titular scientist, and best supporting actor for Robert Downey Jr, portraying his bitter rival.

"Thank you for the invitation to play a genuine part in making this scarily important film," said Kenneth Branagh, speaking on behalf of the cast.

The mood at the gala was celebratory all round, as members of SAG-AFTRA -- the union that represents some 120,000 performers, including A-list stars -- congregated in numbers for the first time since the strike ended in November.

The guild ultimately extracted hard-fought gains including better pay and protections against artificial intelligence (AI) from studios including Disney and Netflix.

"Oppenheimer" has been relentlessly scooping up awards all season.

The movie has already won top prizes at the Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards, Directors Guild of America Awards, and Britain's BAFTAs.

It now adds the top SAG-AFTRA award for best cast, which has led to recent best picture Oscar wins for movies such as "Parasite," "CODA" and "Everything Everywhere All at Once."

Many of the same actors who vote for the SAG Awards also make up the largest voting bloc for the Academy Awards, which will be held this year on March 10.

"Oppenheimer" saw off "Barbie," "Killers of the Flower Moon," "American Fiction" and "The Color Purple" for top honors.