USA TODAY International Edition
The SAG nominations: 5 awards season insights
With a mix of surprises and snubs, outcry and cheers, the clamoring has begun now that nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Awards ( Jan. 30) have officially kicked off the awards race. USA TODAY’s Bryan Alexander sorts through lessons learned for seas
1 ‘ TRUMBO’ RULES OVER ‘ SPOTLIGHT.’
No pundits anticipated that a movie about blacklisted Hollywood screenwriter Dalton Trumbo would dominate the SAG proceedings. But Bryan Cranston was nominated for best actor and Helen Mirren for best supporting actress, and the cast was put forward as best film ensemble.
Spotlight was expected to rule, especially for supporting actor ( Mark Ruffalo and Michael Keaton), where it was surprisingly denied. The film centering on The Boston Globe’s investigation into the Catholic Church’s child abuse cover- up did garner two nominations, best ensemble and an unexpected supporting- actress nod for Rachel McAdams.
2 IDRIS ELBA AND CASTS OF COLOR STEP UP.
Elba stormed the SAG proceedings with three nominations: best actor and for the ensemble cast in Beasts of No Nation, as well as best actor for TV’s Luther.
With Beasts and N. W. A biopic Straight Outta Compton scoring ensemble- cast nominations, the diversity gap that plagued the SAGs and awards season in general last year is less pronounced.
“I wouldn’t call it a year of equality,” says Dave Karger, chief correspondent for movie site Fandango. com. “But I would call it a year of progress.”
3 SARAH SILVERMAN LEADS SURPRISE FILM ENTRIES.
The drama I Smile Back has grossed a minuscule $ 59,000 since opening in October to stark reviews. Yet Silverman, not known for her acting, shocked with a best- actress nomination seemingly out of nowhere. Meanwhile, Michael Shannon stepped up as supporting actor in the small- budget drama 99 Homes. Both films are from the same company, Broad Green Pictures.
“They have done an excellent job of grass- roots campaigning, and voters clearly responded,” says Scott Feinberg, awards columnist for The Hollywood Reporter.
4 MATT DAMON IS LEFT BEHIND AGAIN.
There were inevitable omissions or snubs in the first round of awards nominations. Jennifer Lawrence of Joy and Quentin Tarantino’s Hateful Eight cast, both SAG no- shows, could be explained by the films’ late releases ( both in theaters Christmas Day).
But Damon’s widely heralded starring role in the box office hit The Martian was a glaring omission for the actor, a Hollywood favorite. Other surprise snubs: Carey Mulligan for Suffragette, Charlotte Rampling for 45 Years and Sylvester Stallone’s return to his Rocky roots in the hit Creed.
5 THE ACTING RACE IS OPEN.
Favorites are standing out: the stars of Carol ( Cate Blanchett as lead actress, Rooney Mara as supporting actress), Brie Larson in Room and Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant. But the emergence of films such as The Big Short ( ensemble and supporting actor for Christian Bale) have made the field even more disparate.
“I cannot think of ( another) year when we didn’t have one acting race that’s a done deal,” Karger says. “That’s very exciting.”