The 2019 SAG Awards is off to the races!
As has become tradition during the annual ceremony, stars kicked off the evening with the requisite “I Am an Actor” introduction. Chosen nominees, presenters and attendees, whose identities are kept under wraps until the show airs, share words of wisdom or heartfelt anecdotes from their experience in show business and time being represented by SAG-AFTRA.
This year, Mike Meyers, Yara Shahidi and SAG Awards host Megan Mullally were highlighted. But there was one star who stole the show, and you might just remember him from the Cosby Show.
Geoffrey Owens, who garnered widespread respect (and a few acting gigs!) after getting job-shamed for working at Trader Joe’s, made light of the hussle is takes to make it in Hollywood.
“So somewhere in the middle of the road of my life I found myself in the dark wood of unemployment and debt, but instead of switching careers like a sane person, I took a job at a local trader Joe’s to see if I could hang in there with my career. And it’s actually worked out pretty well,” Owens shared.
“I’m Geoffrey Owens and I am an actor!” he concluded with a laugh and widespread applause inside the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall.
As for Megan’s contribution to the “I Am an Actor” opening, she joked, “I’ll never forget my first acting role. The year was 1942. The film was Casablanca. And I had just turned 35. If I didn’t get that role, I was ready to give it all up and go back to my day job as a design engineer on The Manhattan Project. Luckily, I did get the role and I haven’t stopped working since.”
“Hi,” she continued, “I’m Megan Mullally and I’m not just an actor. I’m your host.”
Keep tuning into the 2018 SAG Awards on TNT and TBS. The night has only just begun!
Watch E! News Monday, Jan. 28 at 7 p.m. for complete coverage from the 2019 Screen Actors Guild Awards.