While the Screen Actors Guild Awards aren't necessarily known for sparking high-profile and viral moments from its presenters and winners, such was the case for the 2023 telecast, in part due to a seemingly awkward on-stage moment involving Aubrey Plaza, her White Lotus co-stars, and her underboob-friendly dress. But now that the dust has settled, one of those co-stars explained the moment as being more innocuous than others first thought.
Let’s go over what went down, and what The White Lotus’ Jon Gries said about Aubrey Plaza’s reaction.
Why Fans Thought Aubrey Plaza Was Angry On SAG Award Stage
The White Lotus fans know that each season’s cast gets pretty chummy while filming in the HBO series’ picturesque locations, with Aubrey Plaza and Meghann Fahy having tripped on shrooms together while on location. But SAG Awards viewers suspected something was off at one point when the cast and crew took the stage after winning the award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.
As F. Murray Abraham gave an empowering thank you speech that touched upon various topics, fans were quick to notice Plaza’s specific demeanor behind him. Her arguably stern look changed up after Jon Gries got her attention and seemed to address a potential wardrobe malfunction involving her underboob’s prominence. She adjusted accordingly, but didn’t necessarily look overly enthused once everyone started hugging each other, and she appeared be jostled around.
The most shared moment from the speech though, came when the Parks and Rec vet seemed to mouth “Jesus Christ” out of annoyance. To be sure, this behavior wasn’t entirely out of character for the actress (or her characters for that matter), who’d recently revealed she stole a note off of then-Veep Joe Biden’s White House desk in order to prove a point. But some fans were still believing she was sincerely peeved.
What Actually Happened, According To The White Lotus' Jon Gries
The way Jon Gries explains it, Aubrey Plaza wasn’t bothered at all in the moment, either by his comment about her dress or about what was happening around her. Speaking with Page Six, the actor says he'd initially realized that Plaza was being blocked on stage by others, so he'd motioned for her to look forward. At that point is when he suggested she might want to adjust her dress, but says she was just being "funny" whenever she mouthed "Jesus Christ" and was expressing faux outrage over the idea that her underboob needed to be covered. In his words:
I think what she was intimating is why would that be a problem if my nipple is showing. That’s her humor — She has that dry, dead-pan wit; that’s her biting wit.
Plaza, who reconnected with her Parks and Rec femmes for a Galentine's Day post, isn't exactly known for leaning into her provocative nature so much as exuding sardonic wit. But if she wanted to give her underboob credit on stage for being part of why The White Lotus' ensemble took home the trophy, who are we to stop her?
That fashion choice wasn’t so wild in comparison to another White Lotus vet, Sydney Sweeney, who recently pulled off a massive butt-necklace-kinda-thing at the Berlin Film Festival. Meanwhile, Zendaya rocked the SAGs with necklaces worth over $2.7 million combined. So if you’ve got it, whether it’s your underboob or pricy jewels, flaunt it.
