Monday, February 23, 2004

Johnny Depp -- The SAG Award (1 of 2 -- Happy Gordy?)

So.  Johnny Depp wins the SAG Award for Best (Male) Actor and everyone goes nuts over whether they were wrong about thinking the Oscar was a two-man race (Bill Murray and Sean Penn).

OK, now, I was surprised as anyone that Depp won the SAG Award, but, in hindsight, it makes a great deal of sense.

It makes sense in a little way, and a bigger way.  First the little way.  The Oscars sometimes give one award to someone in one of those motion pictures you don't generally consider Academy Award Material.  Usually, it's a Supporting Actor or Actress Oscar.  Everyone uses Marissa Tomei's win in "My Cousin Vinny" as the example, but I tend toward Kevin Kline in "A Fish Called Wanda."  It's the Academy's way of letting everyone know they aren't totally stuffy -- they give an award to a supporting performance that everyone just ADORED, even though it was in a low-brow sort of picture.

Johnny Depp gave exactly that performance.  Had he somehow been thrown into the Supporting Actor category, rather than Lead, he'd have the Oscar sewn up.  (Sorry, Tim Robbins.)  So I can see how the SAG voters (i.e. other actors) looked at Johnny and thought, well, dude, it isn't likely that you're going to get the Oscar, but you should get SOME recognition for your performance, so have a SAG Award.

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