The Screen Actors Guild Awards revealed their nominations for the Best of 2015 on Wednesday morning, throwing the group’s considerable weight behind a few surprise awards contenders and potentially dashing the dreams of movies that thought they had the annual Oscar race in the bag.
Trumbo, the delightful, informative and entertaining politi-comedy from director Jay Roach, nabbed a number of high-profile SAG Award nominations this morning, including one for Male Actor in a Leading Role (Bryan Cranston), Female Actor in a Supporting Role (Helen Mirren), and Outstanding Performance By A Cast. It’s understandable why the industry embraces Trumbo, as it celebrates an important slice of Hollywood history by telling the true tale of blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo (Cranston) and his struggles to write in a business that viewed him as a Communist sympathizer.
Beasts of No Nation, Cary Fukunaga’s harrowing and intense snapshot of war-torn Africa, also picked up key nominations, keeping both the film and Idris Elba in top Oscar races.
SAG can be a good indicator for Oscar success, as actors make up the largest voting branch of the Academy, so strong support for a film or performance from the Screen Actors Guild often can translate into Academy love when the Oscars roll around. To give you an example, last year, SAG winners Birdman, Patricia Arquette, J.K. Simmons, Eddie Redmayne and Julianne Moore all went on to win the Oscar in their respective categories. It doesn’t always line up. But a SAG win bodes well for an Oscar nomination, at the very least.
Here’s a complete run down of this year’s nominees in the Movies category.
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading RoleBRYAN CRANSTON / Dalton Trumbo – “TRUMBO” (Bleecker Street)JOHNNY DEPP / James “Whitey” Bulger – “BLACK MASS” (Warner Bros. Pictures)LEONARDO DiCAPRIO / Hugh Glass – “THE REVENANT” (20th Century Fox)MICHAEL FASSBENDER / Steve Jobs – “STEVE JOBS” (Universal Pictures)EDDIE REDMAYNE / Einar Wegener/Lili Elbe – “THE DANISH GIRL” (Focus Features)Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading RoleCATE BLANCHETT / Carol Aird – “CAROL” (The Weinstein Company)BRIE LARSON / Ma – “ROOM” (A24)HELEN MIRREN / Maria Altmann – “WOMAN IN GOLD” (The Weinstein Company)SAOIRSE RONAN / Eilis – “BROOKLYN” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)SARAH SILVERMAN / Laney Brooks – “I SMILE BACK” (Broad Green Pictures)Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting RoleCHRISTIAN BALE / Michael Burry – “THE BIG SHORT” (Paramount Pictures)IDRIS ELBA / Commandant – “BEASTS OF NO NATION” (Netflix)MARK RYLANCE / Abel Rudolph – “BRIDGE OF SPIES” (DreamWorks)MICHAEL SHANNON / Rick Carver – “99 HOMES” (Broad Green Pictures)JACOB TREMBLAY / Jack – “ROOM” (A24)Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting RoleROONEY MARA / Therese Belivet – “CAROL” (The Weinstein Company)RACHEL McADAMS / Sacha Pfeiffer – “SPOTLIGHT” (Open Road Films)HELEN MIRREN / Hedda Hopper – “TRUMBO” (Bleecker Street)ALICIA VIKANDER / Gerda Wegener – “THE DANISH GIRL” (Focus Features)KATE WINSLET / Joanna Hoffman – “STEVE JOBS” (Universal Pictures)Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion PictureBEASTS OF NO NATION (Netflix)ABRAHAM ATTAH / Agu KURT EGYIAWAN / 2nd I-CIDRIS ELBA / CommandantTHE BIG SHORT (Paramount Pictures)CHRISTIAN BALE / Michael BurrySTEVE CARELL / Mark BaumRYAN GOSLING / Jared VennettMELISSA LEO / Georgia HaleHAMISH LINKLATER / Porter CollinsJOHN MAGARO / Charlie GellerBRAD PITT / Ben RickertRAFE SPALL / Danny MosesJEREMY STRONG / Vinny PetersMARISA TOMEI / Cynthia BaumFINN WITTROCK / Jamie ShipleySPOTLIGHT (Open Road Films)BILLY CRUDUP / Eric MacLeishBRIAN D’ARCY JAMES / Matty CarrollMICHAEL KEATON / Walter “Robby” RobinsonRACHEL McADAMS / Sacha PfeifferMARK RUFFALO / Michael RezendesLIEV SCHREIBER / Marty BaronJOHN SLATTERY / Ben Bradlee, Jr.STANLEY TUCCI / Mitchell GarabedianSTRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON (Universal Pictures)NEIL BROWN JR. / DJ YellaPAUL GIAMATTI / Jerry HellerCOREY HAWKINS / Dr. DreALDIS HODGE / MC RenO’SHEA JACKSON JR. / Ice CubeJASON MITCHELL / Eazy-ETRUMBO (Bleecker Street)ADEWALE AKINNUOYE-AGBAJE / Virgil BrooksLOUIS C.K. / Arlen HirdBRYAN CRANSTON / Dalton TrumboDAVID JAMES ELLIOTT / John WayneELLE FANNING / Niki TrumboJOHN GOODMAN / Frank KingDIANE LANE / Cleo TrumboHELEN MIRREN / Hedda HopperMICHAEL STUHLBARG / Edward G. RobinsonALAN TUDYK / Ian McLellan Hunter
The 22nd Annual SAG Awards will be handed out on Saturday, January 30.
