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?