Jamie Lee Curtis cried as she honored her legendary parents at the 2023 SAG Awards.
The 64-year-old paid respect to her family genealogy during her acceptance speech for Female Actress in a Supporting Role at Sunday’s presentation, where she walked the stage to claim the award for her work in Everything, Everywhere, All at Once.
“I’m wearing the wedding ring that my father gave my mother,” Curtis added, noticeably upset, referring to a piece of jewelry given to her mother, Janet Leigh, by her father, Tony Curtis.
“By the way, they despised one other. On the other hand, my sister Kelly and I were born out of love. My father was from Hungary, and my mother was from Denmark, and they came from nothing to become these monster stars in this industry they adored. My parents worked as performers.”
Curtis made a joke about being a “nepo baby” — someone who achieves success in Hollywood after being born into a famous family — during the telecast’s cold open, and she used the term again throughout her address.
“I got married to an actress. I love actors, I love acting, I love the job we get to do, I love being a part of a crew, I love being a part of a cast, I love what we do with each other, it’s such a beautiful job, and I know that so many people in our industry who are actors don’t get to do this job. Nights like this make you wonder, will that ever be possible for me?” She went on. “I know you’re thinking, ‘Nepo baby, that’s why she’s there,’ and I understand, but the truth is: I’m 64 years old, and this is just great.”
The Halloween franchise veteran then joined the audience in a communal chant in honor of her Everything Everywhere co-star Michelle Yeoh, who was also nominated for her part in the sci-fi multiverse epic that has dominated the current awards season.
Curtis ended her time on stage by invoking the names of their respective characters, an homage to the film, which stars Yeoh as a laundromat owner who clashes — and profoundly connects — with an IRS inspector throughout multiple different realities in the movie.
“We love you, we see you, we feel you, we are you, we’re here together,” she said to all the Evelyns and Deirdres in the globe. “God bless everyone. What an f—-ing nightmare, man!”
The SAG Awards’ substantial membership overlap with The Academy helped Curtis’ bid as a front-runner for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar, in addition to her buzzy speech.
Until now, fellow nominee Angela Bassett had swept most of the major precursor awards — including the Golden Globes and the Critics Choice Awards, though The Banshees of Inisherin performer Kerry Condon beat both of them at last week’s BAFTA Awards.
The 2023 SAG Awards will be broadcast live from the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles on Sunday night. See the complete list of winners.
