The Actor Awards are streaming live on Netflix on March 1st, but some film fans aren't happy with the name change.
In November, it was announced that the annual SAG Awards would be changed to the Actor Awards for the ceremony's 32nd year.
"We wanted to provide clearer recognition in terms of what the show is about for our domestic and global audiences," Jon Brockett, showrunner and executive producer of the awards show, said in a joint statement with JoBeth Williams, chair of SAG-AFTRA’s Awards Committee. "We honor actors in film and television. Laser-focusing the name on those two things became the clearest and most straightforward path for this new chapter of the show."
"Only the show name is changing. The foundation remains the same, it’s actors honoring actors," they added. The SAG statue has always been called "The Actor," and Brockett and Williams believe that the name change will "make the alignment official."
Reactions to the "Actor Awards"
The SAG Awards started airing on Netflix in 2024, but the ceremony's new name change isn't sitting right with some people. This week, Netflix released an ad for the ceremony featuring host Kristen Bell, which sparked some discussion online.
While airing the ceremony on Netflix isn't new, some people think it's unfair that SAG-AFTRA members have to pay for a Netflix subscription to see the results of their votes. You might think of SAG as being filled with celebrities, but there are currently 160,000 members in the union.
That means the famous actors attending the ceremony only make up a small number of the SAG community.
On Reddit, users united against the change. "New name still sucks," said u/AnaZ7. "That is such a nothing name lol," agreed u/butimean.
"The award is called an 'Actor'. It would be a little like the Academy Awards officially renamed to The Oscar Awards," said u/spongeboy1985. "Though they are informally named The Oscars."
"Maybe they should have asked their friends at the Writers Guild for help," joked u/Red4141.
On X, the discussion continued. "I really object and find it remarkably offensive that SAG-AFTRA has been removed from the title of this ceremony just in time for Netflix to be the exclusive streamer," said @mandanduno. "Stuff like this is why I don’t believe a thing they say about conserving theater releases post-WB acquisition."
Meanwhile, other people continue to be invested in the season.
Nothing but respect for MY president, Sean Astin:
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FYI, the Actor Awards will air on March 1 at 8pm ET.
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