Snubs And Surprises Of The 2018 SAG Awards Nominees

The actor’s have had their say in the year-end awards game and as always they both enlighten and muddle the Oscar race. The SAG Awards are certainly an important indicator for how the Academy’s acting branch might vote (as well as The Television Academy’s when it comes to Emmy), but some years more than others. It will be weeks and months until we see where this year’s crop of nominees land.

READ MORE: 2018 SAG Awards nominees [Complete List]

For all the shock over Meryl Streep’s snub (more on that later) there were many nominations that simply were not a surprise. Judi Dench earning a nomination for “Victoria & Abdul”?  SAG loves the Dame. The nominations for “The Big Sick”? Most welcome for Amazon Studios, but not a surprise. That’s the sort of movie SAG adores and it’s earlier in the year release helps it with this particular guild. James Franco in Lead Actor for “The Disaster Artist”? Over Tom Hanks and Daniel Day-Lewis? Sure, but overall not really. He’s a three-time nominee and has been working it like crazy. “Stranger Things” earning three nominations? Yep, figured something along those lines. “Curb Your Enthusiasm” back in the Comedy Series Ensemble category? Of course. Peter Dinklage with another nod for “Game of Thrones”? Of course! They love Peter (who doesn’t?). Nominations for “Lady Bird,” “The Crown” and “This Is Us”? Could have put money down in Vegas weeks ago.

Keeping all that in mind, there were the inevitable surprises and snubs. In fact, there more than enough to go around. Let’s review, shall we?

SURPRISES

Hong Chau
Paramount always believed in Chau’s as a Supporting Actress contender for Alexander Payne’s “Downsizing” even after the film fizzled at Telluride and Toronto. Chau’s SAG nomination makes her a major player for an Academy nomination (although “Shape of Water’s” Octavia Spencer and “Phantom Thread’s” Lesley Manville may or may not still have a say when it comes to Oscar). And, of course, the Golden Globe nomination doesn’t hurt either.

Daniel Kaluuya
You know how much we know SAG members loved “Get Out”? It’s not the ensemble nomination — that was expected — but the fact Kaluuya earned a Male Actor in a Leading Role nomination over not just Tom Hanks (“The Post”), but Daniel Day-Lewis (“Phantom Thread”) as well. Kaluuya may still be a longshot for an Oscar nomination, but if he is awarded with one, it means “Get Out” could be your Best Picture frontrunner.

Richard Jenkins
SAG members sadly snubbed “The Shape of Water” in the ensemble category, but happily didn’t forget Jenkins. His co-star Sally Hawkins is considered a potential frontrunner for Best Actress, but it was unclear if Jenkins would be remembered by his peers. He was and his chances for a second Oscar nomination just got that much brighter.

“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” dominates
Is Martin McDonagh’s dramedy hit the true frontrunner for Best Picture? “Get Out,” “Lady Bird” and, yes, “The Post” may still have something to say about that, but today it made a statement. ‘Three Billboards’ lead all films with four SAG nominations today including Best Ensemble, Lead Actress (Frances McDormand) and two Supporting Actor nominations (both Sam Rockwell and Woody Harrelson). The latter nomination was a surprise but SAG has shown lots of love for Harrelson in the past (see his 2009 nomination for “The Messenger” as a prime example). There’s no guarantee ‘Three Billboards’ will win any of its categories, but it demonstrates the large support for the film from the acting wing of the industry.

Steve Carell
Hey, remember when “Battle of the Sexes” was an awards player after its debut at Telluride? Yeah, those were good times. Well, that passion finally manifested itself this week. Steve Carell earned a Golden Globe nomination on Monday and cracked the Supporting Actor field with SAG. The latter is a surprise only in the fact awards pundits forgot about ‘Battle.’ What we failed to remember is that this is now Carell’s 16th SAG nomination. This is only the 23rd SAG Awards.  Do the math.  If he doesn’t have the most nominations to date he’s damn close.

Sean Hayes
“Will & Grace” was snubbed in ensemble, but still managed an Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series nomination. Oh, then again it’s his seventh in this category. Hayes also won it in 2002, 2003 and 2006 so watch out Anthony Anderson (“Black-ish”), Larry David (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”) and Aziz Ansari (“Master of None”). Hayes may take this one too.

Jeff Daniels
Newsflash: SAG members love Jeff Daniels. He earned two nominations for “The Newsroom” in 2012 and 2013 (you can argue he deserved just the first one) and now he’s the sole representative of the “Godless” ensemble this year. Considering that “Godless” wasn’t necessarily an awards priority for Netflix that tells you something about the respect for Daniels from his peers and the influence the streaming service has in SAG members daily lives.

Jason Bateman
Attention Emmy watchers, Jason Bateman is 100% on the board for the 2018 campaign. Bateman has now earned Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations for his role in the Netflix drama series “Ozark” in less than one week. Long way to go, but he’s a surprise player for a nod next year.

No “Modern Family”
Wait, I know what you’re thinking, “Why isn’t this under snubs?” That’s because before this year the long-running ABC show has earned at least one SAG nomination for the past eight years (eight years!). Last year was a warning sign, however, as only Ty Burrell was nominated. This year? Nothing. We’re not complaining about it, we’re just shocked SAG voters were distracted by something else.

“Orange Is the New Black”… again
There are so many worthy comedy ensembles out there. “The Good Place,” “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” “Will & Grace,” “Silicon Valley,” “Insecure,” “Dear White People” and “Great News,” among others, but SAG just couldn’t help themselves. Had to go with the old standby. SAG voters more than any other guild stick by their favorites (especially in TV as noted by “Modern Family” absence above). That’s not always a good thing.

“GLOW”
Then again, when they really like something they really like something. Not only did Netflix’s summer comedy series earn a Comedy Ensemble nomination, but star Alison Brie cracked the Female Actor in a Comedy Series field (effectively knocking out previous nominee Ellie Kemper) and — the real surprise — Marc Maron earned a Male Actor in a Comedy Series nomination. This is a great sign for the Netflix series as Emmy season beckons in just a few months.