SAG Awards 2013: "Argo" wins top prize
Updated 10:37 p.m. ET
"Argo" continues to steamroll through awards season, winning the top honor for overall cast performance at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Sunday's win came a day after the CIA thriller claimed the top honor from the Producers Guild of America, whose winner often goes on to claim best picture at the Academy Awards. "Argo" also was a surprise victor two weeks ago at the Golden Globes, where it won best drama and director for Ben Affleck.
"To me this has nothing to do with me, it has to do with the incredible people who were in this movie," said Affleck, who also stars in "Argo" and accepted the SAG prize alongside his cast
The award momentum positions "Argo" for a rare feat at the Feb. 24 Oscars, where it could become just the fourth film in 85 years to be named best picture without a nomination for its director.
SAG's lead-acting honors went to Jennifer Lawrence for her role as a troubled widow in a shaky new relationship in the lost-souls romance "Silver Linings Playbook" and Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln in the Civil War epic "Lincoln."
"It occurred to me -- it was an actor that murdered Abraham Lincoln," said Day-Lewis, a solid front-runner to join an exclusive list of three-time acting Oscar winners. "And therefore, somehow it is only so fitting that every now and then an actor tries to bring him back to life again."
"Now I have this naked statue that means some of you even voted for me, and that is an indescribable feeling," Lawrence said after explaining she earned her SAG card at age 14 by filming a spot for MTV.
The supporting film awards went to Anne Hathaway of "Les Miserables" and Tommy Lee Jones of "Lincoln."
Hathaway won for her role as a doomed single mother forced into prostitution in the adaptation of the stage musical based on Victor Hugo's epic novel. Her win came over four past Oscar recipients -- Sally Field, Helen Hunt, Nicole Kidman and Maggie Smith.
"I'm just thrilled I have dental," Hathaway said. "I got my SAG card when I was 14. It felt like the beginning of the world. I have loved every single minute of my life as an actor. ... Thank you for nominating me alongside incredible women and incredible performances."
Jones was not at the show, but the win improves his odds to become a two-time Academy Award winner. He previously won a supporting-actor Oscar for "The Fugitive."
On the television side, with "30 Rock" ending its run, stars Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin won the SAG awards for best comedy performers. It was Baldwin's seventh-straight win, while Fey earned her fifth SAG prize.
"Oh, my God. It's ridiculous," Baldwin said. "It's the end of our show, which is sad. Everybody is sad about that. It was the greatest experience I've ever had."
Fey gave a plug for the show's finale airing Thursday, noting that it's up against "The Big Bang Theory."
"Just tape 'The Big Bang Theory' for once, for crying out loud," she said.
"Modern Family" won its third consecutive award for best overall cast in a TV comedy show. Accepting for the cast, co-star Jesse Tyler Ferguson offered thanks to the makers of "30 Rock" and another departing series, "The Office," saying "you all have set the comedy bar so high."
Ferguson joked that if the "30 Rock" or "The Office" stars need jobs, they should contact the "Modern Family" casting director.
The TV drama acting awards went to Claire Danes of "Homeland" and Bryan Cranston of "Breaking Bad."
"It is so good to be bad," Cranston said as he accepted his award.
"Downton Abbey" won the TV drama cast award.
Julianne Moore's turn as Sarah Palin in "Game Change" earned her the TV prize for best actress in a movie or miniseries. Kevin Costner won for best actor in a movie or miniseries for "Hatfields & McCoys."
Receiving the guild's life-achievement award was Dick Van Dyke, who presented the same prize last year to his "The Dick Van Dyke Show" co-star, Mary Tyler Moore.
After waiting on stage for a prolonged standing ovation to end, Van Dyke said, "That does an old man a lot of good."
Earlier, the James Bond adventure "Skyfall" and the fantasy series "Game of Thrones" picked up prizes for best stunt work. Those honors were announced on the red carpet before the official SAG Awards ceremony.