( CNN ) -- `` American Hustle '' has stepped up its game . The comedic film , loosely based on the Abscam scandal of the late '70s , received just two nominations at the 20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards Saturday night , but it won the big one : outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture . Star Bradley Cooper , practically yelling his approval , paid tribute to director David O. Russell for the film . Relive all the action with our live blog . `` Hustle '' and `` 12 Years a Slave '' are among the leading Oscar nominees , and at the SAG Awards the two films faced off for outstanding ensemble -- the SAG Awards ' equivalent of Oscar 's best picture . Last week , `` American Hustle '' won the Golden Globe for best comedy or musical film ; `` 12 Years '' took home that award for best drama . `` 12 Years , '' about a freeman forced into slavery in 19th-century America , led all SAG Awards nominees with four nominations . SAG Awards winners list . Other winners established themselves as Oscar front-runners as well . Matthew McConaughey of `` Dallas Buyers Club '' took home the Screen Actors Guild Award for outstanding performance by a male actor in a leading role Saturday night . He plays an AIDS-afflicted man in the film . He won the Golden Globe for the same role last week . Cate Blanchett , who also won a Globe , won the SAG Award for lead female actor . For Oscar watchers , the awards offer a key indicator of which way the wind is blowing among members of the Motion Picture Academy . The actors ' branch is the largest of any of the academy 's voting blocs . The Academy Awards are scheduled for Sunday , March 2 . 2014 Oscar nominations announced . Winfrey : 'We do movies to move people ' Lupita Nyong ' o and Jared Leto led off the awards by winning prizes for supporting female actor and supporting male actor , respectively . Leto , who stars as a transgender woman in `` Dallas Buyers Club , '' paid tribute to those who have been victims of AIDS , `` that terrible disease . '' Nyong ' o , who plays a slave terrorized by a plantation owner in `` 12 Years a Slave , '' won over competition that included Oprah Winfrey ( `` Lee Daniels ' The Butler '' ) and Jennifer Lawrence ( `` American Hustle '' ) . Winfrey addressed the controversy about not being nominated for an Oscar with CNN 's Nischelle Turner on the red carpet . After praising all the other supporting actress nominees , she pointed out that `` The Butler '' -- a box-office success -- has had an impact . `` We do n't do movies to get awards , '' she said . `` We do movies to move people . '' Rita Moreno accepted the Screen Actors Guild 's Life Achievement Award on Saturday night . She and presenter Morgan Freeman fell into their old `` Electric Company '' roles , pronouncing out `` SAG-AFTRA . '' Then Moreno got serious . `` It 's early in the third act of my life , '' the 82-year-old Moreno said , and then went into a snippet of `` This Is All I Ask '' : `` Let the music play as long as there 's a song to sing / And I will stay younger than spring . '' 'Breaking Bad , ' 'Modern Family ' win TV honors . Like the Globes , the SAG Awards also nominate television performers . Nominees for ensemble in a drama were `` Boardwalk Empire , '' `` Breaking Bad , '' `` Downton Abbey , '' `` Game of Thrones '' and `` Homeland . '' `` Modern Family '' won comedy series ensemble . It 's the show 's fourth straight SAG Award . `` Veep 's '' Julia Louis-Dreyfus and `` Modern Family 's '' Ty Burrell won SAG Awards for their performances in TV comedies . Michael Douglas ( `` Behind the Candelabra '' ) and Helen Mirren ( `` Phil Spector '' ) also took home trophies . `` Breaking Bad '' won drama series ensemble and star Bryan Cranston took home the award for male actor in a drama . Members of the cast of `` Downton Abbey '' knew what was coming . Before the show , they responded in unison when asked who was going to win. `` 'Breaking Bad , ' `` they told CNN . But `` Downton 's '' Maggie Smith did win for female actor in a drama series . Special coverage : Awards season 2014 . For performers , the Screen Actors Guild Awards represent recognition from their peers . The trophy is even called `` the Actor . '' But the red carpet gave those performers some challenges . Sarah Paulson , who was nominated as part of the ensemble with `` 12 Years a Slave , '' was dressed in a somewhat flowy white dress . Complimented on the look , she could only laugh . `` ( People will say ) , what 's with your weird princess dress ? '' she said . And Lawrence had the line of the night for every person who 's ever had to get uncomfortable to look good . Her Dior couture gown , she said , was `` squeezing my breasts into my armpits . ''
`` American Hustle '' beats `` 12 Years a Slave , '' others to win top SAG Award . Matthew McConaughey , Cate Blanchett also win . `` Modern Family '' wins fourth straight SAG Award for comedy series . `` Breaking Bad '' wins for drama series .