A wild, unpredictable awards season produced a list of Screen Actors Guild Awards nominees on Wednesday that overflowed with snubs, surprises and underdog choices.
Ridley Scott’s “House of Gucci,” a rococo look at wealth, murder and haute couture, and Jane Campion’s “Power of the Dog,” a revisionist Western about toxic masculinity, led all films with three nominations. However, “Power of the Dog,” which has benefited from a big awards push from Netflix, failed to capture a best ensemble nomination. Nominees for that prize, considered to be the most prestigious handed out by the guild, included “House of Gucci,” as well as “Belfast,” “CODA,” “Don’t Look Up” and “King Richard.”
On the television front, “Succession,” a boardroom drama about the family behind a media conglomerate, and “Ted Lasso,” a feel-good soccer comedy, scored a leading five nominations. “Mare of Easttown,” “The Morning Show” and water-cooler phenomenon “Squid Game” each landed four nominations apiece.
The best ensemble in a drama series race will be between “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “The Morning Show,” “Succession,” “Squid Game” and “Yellowstone.” It marks one of the few major awards that “Yellowstone” has been nominated for during its four-season run and comes as the show continues to be an unmatched ratings juggernaut.
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“The Kominsky Method,” “Only Murders in the Building” and “Ted Lasso” will face off for the best ensemble in a comedy series prize.
As expected, stars like Will Smith (“King Richard”), Lady Gaga (“House of Gucci”), Olivia Colman (“The Lost Daughter”), Jeremy Strong (“Succession”) and Jennifer Anniston (“The Morning Show”) will wake up on Wednesday to find that they made the cut (if they weren’t brewing coffee already). But several actors who had been widely expected to be nominated were shut out, replaced by performers who had been largely dismissed by the cottage industry of pundits and prognosticators that has sprung up as part of an ever-expanding awards season industrial complex.
Kristen Stewart, considered to be a front runner for her shape-shifting turn as Princess Diana in “Spencer,” failed to earn a nomination, while “King Richard” standout Aunjanue Ellis and “Belfast’s” Jamie Dornan were also snubbed. At the same time, Ruth Negga, who has been largely overlooked for her subtle work in “Passing” by other awards bodies, scored a nomination for best supporting actress, while Bradley Cooper earned a nod for his fiery turn as producer Jon Peters in “Licorice Pizza” — a performance that was heavy on impact, but light on screen time.
And while the television nominations were slightly more predictable, there were a fair share of upsets. Issa Rae failed to earn a nomination for her work in the acclaimed final season of “Insecure,” while “Only Murders in the Building’s” Selena Gomez was overlooked, even as her co-stars Steve Martin and Martin Short were both recognized for their work in the Hulu hit.
In recent years, Hollywood players have moved aggressively into the streaming space, investing heavily in movies and shows as they look to challenge Netflix. That push was reflected in Wednesday’s SAG nominations. WarnerMedia topped all companies with 18 nominations across both film and television — a list of nominees that comes from its motion picture arm, Warner Bros., as well as its cable and streaming divisions, HBO and HBO Max. WarnerMedia’s tally increased even more when the shows it produces for other distributors such as Apple and Netflix such as “Ted Lasso” and “The Kominsky Method get factored in, which pushes it total to 26 nominations. Netflix was close behind with 17 nominations in both television and film categories, while Disney had 13 nominations thanks to both its movie studio and Hulu and Disney Plus, its streaming services.
For the second year in a row, the Screen Actors Guild Awards took to its Instagram page to announce this year’s nominees, with Rosario Dawson and Vanessa Hudgens doing the honors. And once again, that decision was marred by technical difficulties, as the reading of the nominees was postponed briefly while Hudgens and Dawson ensured their audio was working.
The nominations are being announced as COVID-19 and specifically the omicron variant are upending awards season and Hollywood. Major industry events such as Sundance have been re-conceived as online-only affairs, cancelling their in-person components as cases of coronavirus surge. Several other awards shows, like the Grammys and Critics Choice Awards, have been postponed as they look to wait out the peak of infections. The Golden Globes hosted a private ceremony last weekend, but with the group mired in a scandal over its ethical practices and the lack of diversity of its members, major celebrities steered clear.
After going virtual last year amid the pandemic, the SAG Awards are returning to an in-person event, though this year’s ceremony will be held in the spacious Santa Monica Barker Hangar and follow COVID safety protocols. Since 1997, the show had been held at the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall. This year’s SAG Awards will also honor Helen Mirren with the lifetime achievement award. The show will simulcast live on Feb. 27 on TNT and TBS on at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.
See the full nominations list below:
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
Murray Bartlett (“The White Lotus”)
Oscar Isaac (“Scenes From a Marriage”)
Michael Keaton (“Dopesick”)
Ewan McGregor (“Halston”)
Evan Peters (“Mare of Easttown”)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
Jennifer Coolidge (“The White Lotus”)
Cynthia Erivo (“Genius: Aretha”)
Margaret Qualley (“Maid”)
Jean Smart (“Mare of Easttown”)
Kate Winslet (“Mare of Easttown”)
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Michael Douglas (“The Kominsky Method”)
Brett Goldstein (“Ted Lasso”)
Steve Martin (“Only Murders in the Building”)
Martin Short (“Only Murders in the Building”)
Jason Sudeikis (“Ted Lasso”)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Elle Fanning (“The Great”)
Sandra Oh (“The Chair”)
Jean Smart (“Hacks”)
Juno Temple (“Ted Lasso”)
Hannah Waddingham (“Ted Lasso”)
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
“The Great” (Hulu)
“Hacks” (HBO Max)
“The Kominsky Method” (Netflix)
“Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu)
“Ted Lasso” (Apple TV Plus)
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
Brian Cox (“Succession”)
Billy Crudup (“The Morning Show”)
Kieran Culkin (“Succession”)
Lee Jung-Jae (“Squid Game”)
Jeremy Strong (“Succession”)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Jennifer Aniston (“The Morning Show”)
Jung Ho-yeon (“Squid Game”)
Elizabeth Moss (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)
Sarah Snook (“Succession”)
Reese Witherspoon (“The Morning Show”)
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
“The Handmaid’s Tale” (Hulu)
“The Morning Show” (Apple TV Plus)
“Squid Game” (Netflix)
“Succession” (HBO)
“Yellowstone” (Paramount Network)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Caitríona Balfe (“Belfast”)
Cate Blanchett (“Nightmare Alley”)
Ariana DeBose (“West Side Story”)
Kirsten Dunst (“The Power of the Dog”)
Ruth Negga (“Passing)
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Ben Affleck (“The Tender Bar”)
Bradley Cooper (“Licorice Pizza”)
Troy Kotsur (“CODA”)
Jared Leto (“House of Gucci”)
Kodi Smit-McPhee (“The Power of the Dog”)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Jessica Chastain (“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”)
Olivia Colman (“The Lost Daughter”)
Lady Gaga (“House of Gucci”)
Jennifer Hudson (“Respect”)
Nicole Kidman (“Being the Ricardos”)
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Javier Bardem (“Being the Ricardos”)
Benedict Cumberbatch (“The Power of the Dog”)
Andrew Garfield (“Tick, Tick … Boom!”)
Will Smith (“King Richard”)
Denzel Washington (“The Tragedy of Macbeth”)
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
“Belfast” (Focus Features)
“CODA” (Apple Original Films)
“Don’t Look Up” (Netflix)
“House of Gucci” (MGM/United Artists Releasing)
“King Richard” (Warner Bros)
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
“Black Widow”
“Dune”
“The Matrix Resurrections”
“No Time to Die”
“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series
“Cobra Kai”
“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”
“Loki”
“Mare of Easttown”
“Squid Game”
