It should go without saying that performances, films and episodic programs the Screen Actors Guild annoints as SAG Awards nominees are not always reflective of the Motion Picture Academy or the Television Academy, for that matter. But, if you are in the acting branch of either you are 99% likely a member of, arguably, the most powerful union in Hollywood. And, in the case of the Oscar race, their picks often suggest a direction of consensus opinion for the industry. Often, but not always.
READ MORE: “The Irishman,” “Schitt’s Creek” and, yes, “Parasite” top 2020 SAG Awards nominations
Sometimes the choices from SAG nominating comittee line up with the Academy Awards. Sometimes they don’t. In the ensemble category, for instance, last year only one of the nominees didn’t earn a Best Picture nomination (“Crazy Rich Asians”), the year before two didn’t (“Mudbound,” “The Big Sick”) and the year before just one (“Captain Fantastic”). The last time all five landed Oscar nods was in 2015 and it’s only happened twice this decade (the other time was in 2011). So, if one of this year’s players isn’t in the mix, place your bets now.
Overall, there were more surprises and snubs than many were expecting. Actors just love drama, don’t they? But before we weigh on those choices we begin with a…
Thank god: Jharrel Jerome
After the ludicrous ommissions of “When They See Us” from the Golden Globe nominations earlier this week, Ava DuVernay‘s mini-series gets some year-end recognition from the industry itself as Jerome, who won an Emmy Award for his performance, earns a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie here. Whew.
Snub: “Little Women”
Not only did Greta Gerwig‘s period piece find itself without an ensemble nomination, but stars Florence Pugh and Saoirse Ronan didn’t make the cut either. That was someone eye-brow raising since both were seen as likely in SAG’s lead and supporting actress categories. There has already been some chatter that “Little Women’s year-end release was part of the problem, but Sony Pictures started screening the film for the guild at the end of October. That’s more than enough time for the nominating committee to watch it and come to a consensus opinion. Moreover, there’s the other December release which began screening just two weeks earlier…
Surprise: “Bombshell”
After earning the bare minimum from the HFPA, the Lionsgate release went into its opening weekend with not only nominations for Charlize Theron and Margot Robbie, but Nicole Kidman (an 11-time nominee previously) and ensemble. With reviews slightly less enthusiastic than expected, “Bombshell” is still potentially borderline for a Best Picture nomination, but this bounty of recognition certainly helps its cause.
Surprise: “Parasite”
This wasn’t a surprise, this was shocking. Shock. Ing. Only the second film not in the english language to earn an ensemble nod in the history of the SAG Awards (the first was “Life is Beautiful”), this was a shot across the bow to all the other contenders that the Palm d’Or winner could potentially win Best Picture. NEON has to hope there’s still time to convince AMPAS members to nominate Song Kang-Ho for Best Supporting Actor. Honestly, that seemed like a reach yesterday, but after this nomination? Everything is on the table.
Surprise: “Jojo Rabbit”
Fox Searchlight’s word of mouth hit is the movie pundits and the media keep dismissing. The reviews might have been polarizing, but audiences and the industry love it. Not only did “Rabbit” earn an Ensemble nom, but Scarlett Johansson took a Supporting Actress nomination. Along with her nod for “Marriage Story” they are surprisingly the first SAG nominations of her career. Clearly, the love for “Jojo” wasn’t a fluke.
Snub: “The Two Popes”
Perhaps too much competition? Maybe it just didn’t play with SAG voters? Maybe the members wanted to spread the love? Whatever the case, the omission of both Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins in the lead and supporting categories were unexpected. Can either actor find a way to sneak into Oscar’s good graces? We’ll see.
Snub: “The Farewell” and any A24 title
This was not a good morning for moviegoers favorite independent distributor. It would have been one thing if just Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe were snubbed for “The Lighthouse.” That movie isn’t necessarily an easy watch. And, despite a number of opportunities over his career, “Uncut Gems'” Adam Sandler has never earned a SAG award nomination. And, sure, you could say “The Farewell” was a stretch for an Ensemble nod with a lack of familiar faces, but the Korean-language “Parasite” made the cut instead. No, it was the omission of “The Farewell’s” Awkwafina which was the most concerning. Already a Gotham Award winner as well as a Spirit Award, Critics Choice and Golden Globe nominee, she might not be the close to a lock Best Actress nominee that many of us believed she was.
Surprise: “Schitt’s Creek”
Catherine O’Hara was previously nominated by SAG for her work in the TV movie “Temple Grandin,” but cracking a competitive Comedy Actress field which included both lead and supporting nominees in one category was a major surprise. Throw in the fact the CBC and POP Network show landed an ensemble nomination over the likes of the final season of “Veep” or “Black-ish” and things aren’t looking to bad in “Schitt’s Creek,” are they?
Snub: “Watchmen”
HBO has a perception problem with Damon Lindelof’s latest creation. It’s lack of major guild recognition across the board makes it clear the industry thinks its a niche show and not one of the most acclaimed of the year. Both the HFPA and SAG awarded Regina King a Best Supporting Actress trophy less than a year ago and she didn’t even earn a nomination from either organization for a much deeper role this time around. Frankly, the network needs a totally new campaign for Emmys. The poster art with critic quotes just won’t suffice.
Snub: “Succession”
If “Barry” and “Chernobyl” hadn’t earned multiple nods and “True Detective’s” Mahershala Ali and “Game of Thrones” were recognized, maybe you’d think HBO has an issue with SAG overall? Somehow, one of the hottest shows of the year didn’t earn one nomiation from SAG? Not even for Brian Cox? Or Jeremy Strong? Really?
Surprise: Jamie Foxx
Despite deserved accolades for his performance beginnin at the Toronto Film Festival in September, Jamie Foxx‘s work in “Just Mercy” has been somewhat under the radar this awards season. An Oscar nod may still be a slight stretch, but Foxx’s chances got a major boost thanks to SAG.
Surprise: “The Morning Show”
Love it or hate it, the Apple Plus TV series is finding an audience (how big it is remains to be seen). A nomination for Jennifer Anistion was expected, but nods for co-stars Billy Crudup and Steve Carell in a massively competitive category were most definitely not. Reese Witherspoon might not have made the cut and the lack of an ensemble nod was odd, but the three individual nods were a massive win for the show and Apple’s fledgling streaming service.
Snub: “Veep”
It has not been a good guild season for one of the best shows of the decade. Perhaps the final season was more disappointing to viewers than many wanted to believe. Maybe the industry was just ready to move on. Maybe it’s a combintaiton of both. Whatever the case, a SAG Awards with out nine-time winner Julia Louis-Dreyfuss and her “Veep” co-stars on hand seems…strange.
Surprise: Russell Crowe
The Showtime mini-series may have earned horrible reviews, but Crowe’s performance clearly wasn’t the problem. The Aussie actor’s portrayal of Roger Ailes (Jon Lithgow plays him in “Bombshell”) has now earned Golden Globe and SAG Awards nods. Not sure many even at Showtime thought that was possible when the series began airing at the end of June.