Laura Prepon and her Orange is the New Black cast mates celebrated a big win at the SAG Awards this weekend, accepting the award for the Best Ensemble in a TV Comedy.
Thank u to my fellow actor @SAGawards & thank u to our fans! Honored & grateful @OITNB @netflix #myheartwasracing pic.twitter.com/YmHsL9FiX9
— Laura Prepon (@LauraPrepon) January 31, 2016
To Prepon, however, that wasn’t the only win she and her cast mates were celebrating.
“This is such an honor Look at this stage! This is what we talk about, when we talk about diversity! Different race, color, creed, sexual orientation,” Laura Prepon said during her speech, for Orange is the New Black’s second SAG win of the evening.
Uzo Aduba won the show’s first award of the evening for Best Comedic TV Actress for her role as Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren.
“This wouldn’t be possible without [series creator] Jenji Kohan, for never shying away from telling these incredible stories,” Laura Prepon continued.
“Piper, this wouldn’t be possible without your memoir!” she added, addressing the woman behind Orange is the New Black, Piper Kerman.
#SAGAwards: Laura Prepon applauds the show's diversity in light of #OscarsSoWhite https://t.co/zAAMpIRhKK pic.twitter.com/fKELiFyUGw
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) January 31, 2016
Idris Elba kept Laura Prepon’s diversity theme going when he accepted two awards on Saturday. He won for Supporting Actor for his role in the film Beasts of No Nation, as well as the award for Lead Performance in the BBC miniseries Luther.
That's 2️⃣ SAG Awards for @idriselba tonight! @bbcluther #sagawards? pic.twitter.com/LBbSfZrZHP
— SAG Awards® (@SAGawards) January 31, 2016
“Ladies and gentleman, welcome to diverse TV,” he said as he later returned to the stage as one of the evening’s presenters.
Other signs of diversity at the SAG Awards included Queen Latifah’s win for her role as singer Bessie Smith in HBO’s Addison to Elba and Viola Davis for How to Get Away With Murder.
Kudos to Idris Elba and Laura Prepon for recognizing the diversity at this weekend’s SAG Awards. Might they be paving the way for next year’s Academy Awards?