SAG Ensemble - Everyone Was Nominated.... Except *You*
Wednesday, December 14, 2016 at 1:23PM by Nathaniel R
Alex R Hibbert's omission from the nominated cast of Moonlight is one of the worst yet from SAG
For several years now we've highlighted a major problem with the Screen Actors Guild Awards that we hope their union will eventually address. The rule is that to be included in the Ensemble nomination you have to have your own title card (or share the first title card if the whole principle cast is listed on the same card as in Woody Allen movies). But the prize is meant to honor the whole cast and sometimes a less famous person can deliver in a big way in which the movie wouldn't be the same without. My fascination/aggravation with this rule and its collateral damage goes all the way back to The Avatior (2004) when I realized that Matt Ross (an actor who is now a director - see Captain Fantastic) was not included though he is terrifc in the movie and in a ton of scenes with Leonardo DiCaprio while Gwen Stefani, a very famous woman with only a cameo, was included.
So let's look at each ensemble nomination this year and figure out who has fallen victim to this aggravating rule after the jump...
CAPTAIN FANTASTIC (Bleecker Street)
ANNALISE BASSO / Vespyr
SHREE CROOKS / Zaja
ANN DOWD / Abigail
KATHRYN HAHN / Harper
NICHOLAS HAMILTON / Rellian
SAMANTHA ISLER / Kielyr
FRANK LANGELLA / Jack
GEORGE MacKAY / Bo
ERIN MORIARTY / Claire
VIGGO MORTENSEN / Ben
MISSI PYLE / Ellen
CHARLIE SHOTWELL / Nai
STEVE ZAHN / Dave
One of the rare times the SAG "cast" nomination includes just about everyone
Who was excluded? Nobody really. This non-domesticated family drama seems to have given everyone with a good size role their own credits so you've got all of Viggo's kids, his in-laws (Kathryn Hahn and Steve Zahn get the "with" and "and" cards), and significant cameos (Missi Pyle - holla!). The only noticeable absences are the young actors playing Hahn & Zahn's teenage kids but they have very small roles.
FENCES (Paramount Pictures)
JOVAN ADEPO / Cory
VIOLA DAVIS / Rose Maxson
STEPHEN McKINLEY HENDERSON / Jim Bono
RUSSELL HORNSBY / Lyons
SANIYYA SIDNEY / Raynell
DENZEL WASHINGTON / Troy Maxson
MYKELTI WILLIAMSON / Gabriel
Who was excluded? No one. That's the whole cast right there (with the exception of extras) since the action never moves far away from Rose & Troy Maxson's block and stays mostly in their home or just outside of it.
HIDDEN FIGURES (20th Century Fox)
MAHERSHALA ALI / Col. Jim Johnson
KEVIN COSTNER / Al Harrison
KIRSTEN DUNST / Vivian Mitchell
TARAJI P. HENSON / Katherine G. Johnson
ALDIS HODGE / Levi Jackson
JANELLE MONÁE / Mary Jackson
JIM PARSONS / Paul Stafford
GLEN POWELL / John Glenn
OCTAVIA SPENCER / Dorothy Vaughan
Who was excluded? Hidden Figures is a highly populated movie, with lots of crowd scenes (courtrooms, churches, workplaces, etcetera) but this list mostly covers the players who are given ample opportunity to make an impression. "Mostly" being the key word. The only actors who share a title card before the scrawl that aren't included are Kimberly Quinn as "Ruth" and Olek Kupra as "Karl" though I'll admit I have forgotten which characters those were (though perhaps Kupra is Janelle Monae's boss?). But the movie has a huge cast and quite a few of the coworkers here and there do fine work even if they don't get a lot of lines. Also excluded are the young actress who plays Taraji's role as a little girl (pictured above), the young actors who play Taraji's kids (they have a number of scenes), and Frank Holt Taylor who plays the judge that Janelle Monae has to plead her case to.
MANCHESTER BY THE SEA (Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions)
CASEY AFFLECK / Lee Chandler
MATTHEW BRODERICK / Jeffrey
KYLE CHANDLER / Joe Chandler
LUCAS HEDGES / Patrick Chandler
GRETCHEN MOL / Elise
MICHELLE WILLIAMS / Randi Chandler
Who was excluded? The Matthew Broderick and Gretchen Mol sequence of Manchester by the Sea is, we'd argue, its least successful detour. But they're both famous getting the "with" and "and" title card treatments so they're naturally in. But Manchester by the Sea excludes several people. Chief among them is CJ Wilson who is wonderful and moving as "George" a longtime friend of the central family. He even figures prominently in the plot. He shares his title card with Heather Burns who plays "Jill" the mom of one of Lucas Hedges's girlfriends. The three other actors who share a title card are Tate Donovan (Lucas Hedges coach at high school), Josh Hamilton (the family lawyer) and Anna Baryshnikov (yes, she's Misha's daughter) who plays one of Lucas Hedges two girlfriends.
MOONLIGHT (A24)
MAHERSHALA ALI / Juan
NAOMIE HARRIS / Paula
ANDRÉ HOLLAND / Kevin
JHARREL JEROME / Kevin (16)
JANELLE MONÁE / Teresa
TREVANTE RHODES / Black
ASHTON SANDERS / Chiron
Who was excluded? Here's one to make to make the blood boil. Alex R Hibbert, who stars as "Lil" (Chiron/Black at 9 years od) in the first segment is not on the SAG list. The impression he gives of the character gets the whole movies pathos going and it absolutely wouldn't be the smashing success it is without him. Hibbert shares his title card with Jaden Piner who plays Kevin at age 9. Mahershara Ali and Naomie Harris are listed after these two in the credits but they get "with..." and "and..." single title cards.
How are you feeling about the SAG "Cast" nominations this year? And what do you think the solution to this rule could be?
Reader Comments (27)
Pretty sure Heather Burns as Jill in Manchester By the Sea plays the mom to one of Lucas' girlfriends, not a nurse in the hospital.
At this point, I have to wonder: these rules are well known by now. While I understand if it results in excluding some supporting figures, for what is (part of) a lead role like Hibbert's part, it's really on the film to give him solo billing. It's not like films are limited in the number of title cards they can use.
Yes, Jill is the mom of the girlfriend in Patrick's band. The nominees from this movie are basically the main family members and Matthew Broderick.
Too bad about Alex Hibbert. Grr.
@ Sean C: it's a status thing and has more to do with your agent and your clout than with the filmmakers.
@Paul Outlaw: It's still ultimately up to the filmmakers. Billing order is contractual, but whether Hibbert gets it at all affects nobody but him.
The children of Moonlight should have been included. Although, personally the least impress with their work.
Not just the order, Sean, also if you have to share a card.
thanks for the updates on Manchester.
@Paul Outlaw: Yes, my point being that it matters to actors the order in which they're billed. But the producers could have given Hibbert the last solo title card (before the "with" and "and" ones) and affected nobody else. They chose not to.
In general, I love this lineup (especially the Captain Fantastic inclusion, doubly exciting considering the whole principle cast is included). I believe having a solo title card also entitles you to a better contract/more money, so it's not surprising films with smaller budgets have fewer solo credits.
Still, considering SAG/AFTRA is a massive union that should be about rewarding those less famous, it's baffling there's not at least a committee to determine the Ensemble nominees from the given films. Perhaps it should be like the Tonys - above the title automatically earns you Lead distinction (/solo title card automatically earns you an inclusion), but you can appeal that rule for a committee to decide.
Is there some kind of arbitration opportunity for weird cases? I feel like if there was, we'd hear more about it, so I doubt it. As Sean C. says these rules, as rigid as they are, are known by the filmmakers so if they don't care to advocate a change...
I don't really see anything to get upset about this year. Why should a little boy in his first role get a main title card?
This just in - Moonlight and Loving are officially classified as Adapted Screenplays. Adjust your predictions accordingly
You're still missing my point, Sean. The order of the cards is not the only point of negotiation. Getting an individual card (wherever it appears in the credits) is also subject to negotiation, and clearly Hibbert's representation (which he probably didn't have at the time) did not go for that "and introducing" card, which I'm sure they could have gotten. And it matters more to agents and managers than to the actors themselves, because it's also about money (in the future) in the final analysis.
I actually love all the nominations in this category, ESPECIALLY Captain Fantastic, so it's gratifying to see that all the main players there get included. OF COURSE Manchester includes Broderick and Mol but leaves out Wilson. /eyeroll
The Alex R. Hibbert thing is indeed blood-boiling, but they did a pretty great job overall this year!
ken s: I can just see what happened: The Academy President contacted the studios, saying, essentially, "Hey, uh, Deadpool and Love & Friendship are probably Adapted Screenplay nominees right now." The producers of Moonlight and Loving hearing about that went "That sounds like we can muscle in. Change category."
Original:
1. Manchester by the Sea
2. Hell or High Water
3. 20th Century Women
4. La La Land
5. Zootopia
6. Jackie
7. Toni Erdmann
8. The Lobster
9. Captain Fantastic
10. Hail Caesar!
Adapted:
1. Moonlight
2. Fences
3. Arrival
4. Silence
5. Loving
6. Love & Friendship
7. Deadpool
8. Lion
9. Sully
10. Hidden Figures
Matt Ross was the guy helping Hughes to design the planes, wasn't he? I remember thinking that I really liked him.
Matt Ross (ALBY) was also one of the standout supporting actors on Big Love.
Hibbert's exclusion is outrageous. This demands a change in procedure and his name should be added to the nominees. I wish A24 would do something about this or that the cast members demand Hibbert added or forfeit their nomination (and probably their prize). Absolutely ridiculous.
Lola - your comment is almost as offensive as it is ignorant. Hibbert is how we are introduced to a character we'll see grow into a man and he's in a full third of the movie. It is by far the worst exclusion from today.
The title card issue is a truly archaic institution that SAG needs to do away with. Look at Woody Allen movies. Anyone on the second title card gets nothing. Corey Stoll in Midnight in Paris is probably the most memorable snub there.
@Paul Outlaw: I'm not missing your point. Obviously solo cards are a subject of negotiation, but there is no reason for the filmmakers not to give solo title cards to actors playing key roles. It doesn't cost them anything. If Hibbert had been given the last title card (other than the with/and ones), it would have affected nobody else's contract.
Just saw Moonlight this morning for the second time ! That child is fabulous!!!
An archaic SAG rule that shod be addressed.
To put it as simply as possible, Sean: the filmmakers do NOT decide the credits, neither the billing nor the solo cards nor anything. That decision comes from negotiations between the UNION or guild, the artists themselves (usually through their representatives) and the producers of the film. There are even rules about the number of seconds a title card has to be displayed and the speed.
@Paul Outlaw: I consider the producers to be filmmakers.
I just can't with Alex Hibbert's exclusion for Moonlight. Omg.
I think the rule is just and clear-cut. Do SAG have time to consider which of the ensemble deserve recognition? I don't think so. So it's up to producers whether they care to help their actors get the recognition they deserve (probably not on their priorities. Sad.).
Pissed off by the exclusion of CJ Wilson. He was perfect in Manchester, and very important to the plot.
Be that as it may.