‘Argo’ wins top SAG award, in latest pre-Oscar boost

Director Ben Affleck (C) and members of the cast of his film Argo pose with the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture in the press room at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on January 27, 2013. AFP / FREDERICK J. BROWN

LOS ANGELES – Iran hostage crisis drama “Argo” won the best film drama prize at the Screen Actors Guild awards Sunday, in yet another boost for its prospects at next month’s all-important Oscars.

Daniel Day-Lewis won best actor for the title role in Steven Spielberg’s presidential drama “Lincoln,” while “Hunger Games” star Jennifer Lawrence took best actress SAG award for her performance in romcom “Silver Linings Playbook.”

On the small screen, “Downton Abbey” and “Modern Family” were the big winners in the drama and comedy categories, respectively.

For Ben Affleck, who directed and starred in “Argo,” it was the second top prize in as many days after his film won the Producers Guild of America award, a key bellwether for Oscars glory, on Saturday night.

“Argo” caused a surprise by winning best picture and best director for Affleck at this month’s Golden Globes, and is nominated in seven categories for the Oscars, scheduled to be held on February 24.

It tells the story of a daring CIA mission to rescue six US diplomats who took refuge at the Canadian embassy in Tehran during the 1979 hostage crisis, bringing them out disguised as crewmembers for a Hollywood sci-fi film.

Day-Lewis’s SAG success will only increase his already-strong chances of winning the actor category at the Oscars, while Lawrence’s success adds a dimension to her star status from worldwide blockbuster “Hunger Games.”