Los Angeles ( CNN ) -- `` The Help , '' a movie about the treatment of maids in a Mississippi town during the civil rights era , took top honors at the Screen Actors Guild Awards Sunday night , making it the movie to watch as the Oscar awards approach next month . Viola Davis won the best actress trophy , while Octavia Spencer was given the best supporting actress honor . Both women portrayed maids . `` The Help '' also won the best cast ensemble SAG award . Cover story : Is 'The Help ' heroic or stereotyping ? `` The stain of racism and sexism is not just for people of color and women , '' Davis said . `` It 's all of our burden , all of us . '' Davis ' best actress win seemed to throw the Oscar competition into a frenzy , since she beat Meryl Streep and Michelle Williams , actresses who won Golden Globes two weeks ago . Streep was nominated for her portrayal of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in `` Iron Lady , '' and MIchelle Williams , was nominated for playing movie legend Marilyn Monroe in `` My Week With Marilyn . '' Jean Dujardin won the SAG best actor in a film award for his lead role in `` The Artist , '' a black-and-white , silent film . The win gives Dujardin an apparent edge against George Clooney and the three other nominees in next month 's Oscar best actor competition . Spencer 's supporting actress SAG award makes her a clear frontrunner for the supporting actress Oscar , considering she also won the Golden Globe . `` These women represent our mothers and grandmothers , '' Spencer said , referring to the maids portrayed in `` The Help . '' `` By honoring me , you 're honoring them . '' Christopher Plummer , 82 , also earned frontrunner status for in the Academy Award best supporting actor competition by winning the SAG honor Sunday night for his role in `` The Beginners . '' `` I just can not tell you how much fun I 've had being a member of the world 's second oldest profession , '' Plummer said as he accepted his SAG trophy . Hollywood 's awards season neared mid-point Sunday night with the 18th annual Screen Actors Guild honors -- the only industry awards that solely recognize performers . The SAG actor trophies go to both television and film actors , and the winners are chosen by their acting peers . SAG President Ken Howard also used the event to announce the actor union 's board approved a proposal to merge with AFTRA , another acting union , pending approval of their memberships . On the prime-time television side , HBO 's `` Boardwalk Empire '' won for best ensemble cast in a drama series for a second straight year . It was also the second consecutive time for the show 's star Steve Buscemi to win the SAG best actor in a TV drama award his role of Enoch `` Nucky '' Thompson . Jessica Lange won the SAG trophy for best actress in a TV drama series for her work in the FX 's `` American Horror Story . '' It is her first SAG honor . `` It was a real leap of faith for me to jump into it , but it 's been a wonderful ride , '' Lange said of her role as `` Constance . '' In the television movie or miniseries categories , best actress award went to Kate Winslet for `` Mildred Pierce . '' Paul Giamatti won best actor for his portrayal of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke in `` Too Big To Fail . '' `` Modern Family '' won the best ensemble cast in a TV comedy series for a second year . iReporter captures some SAG moments . Alec Baldwin won SAG 's best actor in a TV comedy series for `` 30 Rock , '' while 89-year-old Betty White was given the best actress in a comedy award for `` Hot in Cleveland , '' which she won last year . `` I do n't think they can read , '' White said as she accepted . `` I think they made a terrible mistake . '' The show at the Shrine Exposition Center aired on TNT and TBS . Both TNT and TBS are units of Time Warner , the parent company of CNN .
IF : ` ` The Artist '' wins best cast , best actress , best supporting actor at SAG awards . NEW : ` ` Artist '' ' Jean Dujardin wins best actor in a film . Steve Buscemi 's ` ` Boardwalk Empire '' wins best actor in TV drama series . ` ` Modern Family '' wins best TV comedy ensemble for second straight year .