The monumental epic “Oppenheimer” surged towards potential Oscars triumph by clinching three prizes at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards in Hollywood on Saturday. Cillian Murphy, alongside co-star Robert Downey Jr., secured top actor honors for their remarkable performances, and the film itself garnered the prestigious best ensemble cast prize. These victories significantly enhance the prospects of Christopher Nolan’s creation in securing the Best Picture trophy at the upcoming Academy Awards next month.

The SAG awards, handed out by members of the SAG-AFTRA actors union, are a key Oscar predictor because actors comprise the largest group of voters for the Academy Awards. Nolan’s film has won trophies at the Golden Globes and British Academy Film Awards. It took the top prize at the Critics’ Choice Awards earlier this year.

“This is extremely special to me because it comes from you guys,” said Murphy as he accepted the award for best actor. He had been a frontrunner in the category for his role as theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, the man known as the father of the atomic bomb. He beat Paul Giamatti’s performance in the biopic Killers of the Flower Moon and Jeffrey Wright’s work in Dunkirk.

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Downey was likewise delighted to win for his role as physicist Lewis Strauss, the man who supervised the first nuclear tests at the Nevada Test Site. He called the win “a humdinger of an evening.” The SAG Awards also honored TV shows and miniseries. Modern Family star Julie Bowen won Best TV Actress for her role in a drama series, while Ali Wong took home the same prize for her role in a comedy series. Wong, who wore a white jumpsuit that halted social media, also received the SAG Award for Breakthrough Actress.

Other winners included Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, which earned Lily Gladstone the award for best actress, and The Holdovers’ Da’Vine Joy Randolph for supporting actress. Both films are expected to be major contenders for the Oscars, which will be handed out on March 11.

The SAG Awards were held during a rare television event, as the show was broadcast on Netflix in more than 140 countries worldwide. Idris Elba hosted the show, which featured a musical number by Billie Eilish and an appearance by Modern Family co-stars Sofia Vergara and Eric Stone. It was one of the first big awards shows after a months-long strike by SAG-AFTRA performers. The performers’ union has been negotiating pay, benefits, and other issues with studios. The SAG Awards are usually held in January, but the union had delayed this year’s ceremony due to the strike. Members of SAG-AFTRA’s 160,000 members announced the winners. The SAG Awards were presented in a SAG-AFTRA-owned theater in Los Angeles. The SAG Awards were streamed for the first time on the streaming service Netflix.