On a strange, terrifying day in Los Angeles, the Screen Actors Guild announced its nominations for the best performances in film and television in 20
On a strange, terrifying day in Los Angeles, the Screen Actors Guild announced its nominations for the best performances in film and television in 2024. On the movie side, at least, the picks were particularly cluttered, throwing a whole lot of conventional wisdom about the Oscars into total disarray. Here are the biggest snubs and surprises of the nominating committee’s picks for film—and what they mean for the Oscar race.
SURPRISE: The Last Showgirl Pops
Gia Coppola’s Toronto Film Festival hit has been a sleeper on the awards trail, racking up a couple Golden Globe nominations and mentions from smaller groups like the Gotham Awards. But when it comes to the overall actors union, we should never underestimate Jamie Lee Curtis, a surprise nominee for supporting actress today. After all, this is the place where her unexpected Oscar-winning run for Everything Everywhere All at Once took off, and she’s a master campaigner with her peers. But Pamela Anderson overtaking some huge, lauded names in one of the most competitive best-actress races in recent memory? That’s a bona fide shock, adding yet another name to the mix of an impossibly intricate Oscar category—especially since…
SNUB: Hollywood Royalty Left Out of Best Actress
At Sunday’s Golden Globes, nominees Kate Winslet, Nicole Kidman and Angelina Jolie lost out on the best drama actress award to Fernanda Torres, brilliant in the Brazilian drama I’m Still Here. That was a tiny setback for the three Oscar winners, but to not even be nominated by SAG after that? They’re officially in a solemn Oscar danger zone. But international stars faring well on the trail thus far, like Torres and Hard Truths’ Marianne Jean-Baptiste, were less expected to show up here today—SAG rarely recognizes non-American indies—and thus remain competitive at the Oscars as well.
SNUB: Sing Sing Underperforms
Look, with so many sturdy best-picture players featuring excellent (and starry) casts, it was never going to be uncomplicated for A24’s tiny gem to crack the best ensemble top five. Still, SAG has advocated for films of this scope in the past, offering a boon to their best picture chances and overall positioning in the race. But the film missed out both here and in best supporting actor for Clarence Maclin, as it did at the Golden Globes—suggesting that the movie may be in play only for Colman Domingo and its screenplay after all. Let’s hope Sing Sing starts picking up steam this week, in time for Oscar voting.
SURPRISE: A Complete Unknown Overperforms
Just how sturdy is James Mangold’s Bob Dylan biopic? While late-breaker Wicked was always thought to be a juggernaut, I’d argue A Complete Unknown has been comparatively underrated. But thinking about the film that way should end today. The movie helps lead the charge at the SAG Awards with an impressive four nominations, most surprisingly for Monica Barbaro, who’s so good in it as folk music icon—and occasional Dylan romancer—Joan Baez. She stands a very good shot at making the Oscar list, with the film also nominated here for best ensemble.
SNUB: Denzel Washington, Gladiator II
I’ll be sincere: I saw this one coming for Oscar nominations morning next week, but never would have imagined that the iconic actor’s brilliantly villainous turn would be overlooked by SAG. He’s been nominated by the guild eight times this century! Alas, despite its sturdy box-office performance, Gladiator II seems to have lost all above-the-line awards momentum, and at this stage should be safely counted out—even for what once seemed like a very secure bet.
SURPRISE: Jonathan Bailey, Wicked
Some of those Denzel votes evidently went to the other half of Glicked (sorry), with my personal most shocking film nomination coming for Fiyero himself. Bailey has been doing great work on TV for years. But though he’s fresh off of his first Emmy nomination for Fellow Travelers, he hadn’t found any awards traction at all thus far for his breakthrough film role as the prince caught between Elphaba and Glinda. That changes here. Bailey now vaults firmly into a supporting-actor race that feels a whole lot more cluttered than it did a few days ago. He has “Dancing Through Life” to thank: It’s one of the most animated musical performances of the movie, and a true showcase for its central figure.
SURPRISE/SNUB: The Apprentice
I’ve been talking on Little Gold Men for awhile now about the solemn problem faced by Sebastian Stan: He’s very good in leading roles in two films that feel right on the bubble with the Oscars, in A Different Man (for which he won a Golden Globe) and The Apprentice (which has received more industry attention). I suspect he’s splitting votes, because both here and at the Critics Choice Awards, he’s missed out entirely on nominations despite there being a pretty open slot in best actor. (SAG went with Daniel Craig, who is well-positioned at this stage to get an Oscar nod as well.) For further evidence of Stan’s excellent year working against him, see how his Apprentice co-star Jeremy Strong delightfully, unexpectedly made the SAG shortlist down in supporting actor. The good news is that their film is clicking with Hollywood after all, despite months of backlash and trepidation over its portrayal of Donald Trump. The bad news is that for Stan, it may not matter.
SNUBS: Supporting Actresses of Best Picture frontrunners
For Curtis, Barbaro, and—thank goodness—The Piano Lesson’s Danielle Deadwyler to be able to make their way into the supporting actress lineup, some massive names would have to fall—and indeed, SAG mostly looked askance at likely Oscar nominees from best-picture frontrunners. Isabella Rossellini hadn’t missed a massive nom until now, and while I still think she’s looking sturdy for an Oscar nod, I’d be a bit more worried for Emilia Perez’s Selena Gomez and The Brutalist’s Felicity Jones, who have been blanked by other groups as well. (The Brutalist underperformed overall today, with Guy Pearce missing out in supporting actor.) Still, the Oscars’ acting branch tend to lean toward the strongest overall films, so no one in this group should be counted out just yet.
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