Each January, members of the Screen Actors Guild have the opportunity of voting for their fellow performers to receive a SAG Award. One of the industry’s most prized honors, the voting system allows guild members to cast a ballot for the best acting and stunt performances in the preceding year’s films.

It’s both a privilege and an honor to be involved in this voting process. As a SAG member, I look forward to receiving my annual ballot instructions and the list of nominees.

This year, the list of movies and television programs up for consideration is particularly impressive.  The award for an outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture this year could go to Birdman, Boyhood, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, or The Theory of Everything. They are all exceptional movies in their own way. Television cast ensembles eligible for the award includes Boardwalk Empire, Downton Abbey, Game of Thrones, Homeland and House of Cards.

So the question that folks always ask me is, how do you choose where to cast your votes?

It’s certainly not easy with so many excellent choices available. The studios know this, and many try to tempt your vote with glossy packaging on their For Your Consideration (FYC) DVD’s. Yes, the studios do actually send you DVD’s of the movies for review. This makes picking up the mail each day in January quite exciting for SAG members. Few people have the time or funds to go and see every nominated film in the cinema, so this gives the actors a chance to review movies in the comfort of their own home. Many studios also allow free streaming of the movies and shows. January therefore becomes the month for avid movie watching for most SAG members.

Does the glossy FYC DVD packaging help sway my vote? Maybe a little. The packaging this year for Boyhood is particularly nice with photos of the Ellar Coltrane’s twelve year progress through childhood. Ultimately, my decision is made based on the performance. Some actors touch your heart with emotional resonance. These performances are worth rewarding.  Whether they bring a smile to your face or a tear to your eye, the greatest actors express the highs and lows of the human condition. By bringing their life experiences to bear upon the words on a page, the actors express something real that lies within all of us. You know it when you see it. The performance speaks to you on a personal level, so that you can feel what the character is experiencing.

Yes, it truly is an honor to vote on such performances.

Now, I must go. I have cinematic worlds to experience that may just change my view on the universe as I know it.

Can someone please pass the popcorn?

SAG Awards Website: http://www.sagawards.org/