The times they are a-changin’ at the 2025 SAG Awards.
Timothée Chalamet won the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Motion Picture at the Feb. 23 ceremony, beating out The Brutalist‘s Adrien Brody, Conclave‘s Ralph Fiennes, Queer‘s Daniel Craig and Sing Sing‘s Colman Domingo. (Click here for the full list of winners.)
The prize—Chalamet’s first SAG award for acting—celebrated his portrayal of Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown and made him the youngest actor ever to win the accolade.
And like a rolling stone, the 29-year-old was freewheelin’ as he made his way on stage at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
“I was not expecting this at all,” Chalamet said.”Truly.”
And he couldn’t have done it without the support of his date for the night, his mom Nicole Flender, who received an adorable shoutout.
“I’ll start by thanking my mother who I’m here with tonight,” Chalamet continued. “She has been working at Actors’ Equity for 40 years, in the stage union.”
But the Ladybird actor also put in the work—a fact he wasn’t afraid to admit.
“I know the classiest thing would be to downplay the effort that went into this role and how much this means to me,” he said, “but the truth is this was five and half years of my life.”
Noting that he is “in pursuit of greatness” when it comes to his craft, he added, “I know people don’t usually talk that but I wanna be one of the greats, I’m inspired by the greats. I’m as inspired by Daniel Day Lewis, Marlon Brando and Viola Davis as I am Michael Jordan and Michael Phelps.”
Indeed, to prepare for his role as the folk music icon, Chalamet did more than just think twice. As he put it, “I’ve turned over every stone.”
“I did all the work,” he shared in a January episode of NPR’s All Things Considered podcast, “physicality, behavior-wise.”
The Wonka alum added, “I also put on 20 pounds because, believe it or not, I was thinner than the guy.”
He even recreated one of Dylan’s past looks at the New York City premiere of the biopic in December, rocking a blond wig beneath a heather blue beanie. He completed his sartorial tribute to the singer with a black leather jacket and black-and-white plaid scarf that was nearly identical to the one Dylan wore at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival.
And Chalamet’s big SAG award win was a long time coming. In fact, the actor—who previously earned a Lead Actor nomination at the 2018 ceremony for his performance in Call Me By Your Name—joked about the lack of recognition for his work when he hosted Saturday Night Live last month.
“It’s been an enormous honor going to these award shows. It’s such a great experience but I just keep losing,” he quipped.” And each time it gets harder to pretend it doesn’t sting.”
For more winners at the 2025 SAG Awards, keep reading.
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
A Complete Unknown
Anora
WINNER: Conclave
Emilia Pérez
Wicked
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Pamela Anderson—The Last Showgirl
Cynthia Erivo—Wicked
Karla Sofía Gascón—Emilia Pérez
Mikey Madison—Anora
WINNER: Demi Moore—The Substance
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Adrien Brody—The Brutalist
WINNER: Timothée Chalamet—A Complete Unknown
Daniel Craig—Queer
Colman Domingo—Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes—Conclave
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Monica Barbaro—A Complete Unknown
Jamie Lee Curtis—The Last Showgirl
Danielle Deadwyler—The Piano Lesson
Ariana Grande—Wicked
WINNER: Zoe Saldaña— Emilia Pérez
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Jonathan Bailey—Wicked
Yura Borisov—Anora
WINNER: Kieran Culkin—A Real Pain
Edward Norton— A Complete Unknown
Jeremy Strong—The Apprentice
Outstanding Action Performance By a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
Deadpool & Wolverine
Dune: Part Two
WINNER: The Fall Guy
Gladiator II
Wicked
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
Bridgerton
The Day of The Jackal
The Diplomat
WINNER: Shogun
Slow Horses
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Kathy Bates—Matlock
Nicola Coughlan—Bridgerton
Allison Janney—The Diplomat
Keri Russell—The Diplomat
WINNER: Anna Sawai—Shogun
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
Tadanobu Asano—Shogun
Jeff Bridges—The Old Man
Gary Oldman—Slow Horses
Eddie Redmayne—The Day of The Jackal
WINNER: Hiroyuki Sanada—Shogun
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
Abbott Elementary
The Bear
Hacks
WINNER: Only Murders in The Building
Shrinking
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Kristen Bell—Nobody Wants This
Quinta Brunson—Abbott Elementary
Liza Colón-Zayas—The Bear
Ayo Edebiri—The Bear
WINNER: Jean Smart—Hacks
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Adam Brody—Nobody Wants This
Ted Danson —A Man on The Inside
Harrison Ford—Shrinking
WINNER: Martin Short—Only Murders in The Building
Jeremy Allen White—The Bear
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
Javier Bardem—Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story
WINNER: Colin Farrell—The Penguin
Richard Gadd—Baby Reindeer
Kevin Kline—Disclaimer
Andrew Scott—Ripley
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
Kathy Bates—The Great Lillian Hall
Cate Blanchett—Disclaimer
Jodie Foster— True Detective: Night Country
Lily Gladstone—Under the Bridge
WINNER: Jessica Gunning—Baby Reindeer
Cristin Milioti—The Penguin
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series
The Boys
Fallout
House of the Dragon
The Penguin
WINNER: Shogun
