SAG Nomination Surprises: Emily Blunt, Captain Fantastic, and More
Wednesday, December 14, 2016 at 11:35AM 
As we've noted several times in the past, SAG nominations are often among the most surprising for two reasons. First, the nominating committee changes each year, drawn randomly from the Screen Actor's Guild enormous body of dues paying members. Second, because the members are randomly selected and (presumably) spread out more geographically than the easier to target Academy and Globe members, their nominations can often feel like they were voted on earlier and that's the case this year with more summer films nominated than other awards bodies went with.
The nominees with commentary are after the jump...
Yes! Viggo Mortensen so deserves this. But can he get the more difficult Oscar nomination?
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
CASEY AFFLECK / Lee Chandler – “MANCHESTER BY THE SEA”
ANDREW GARFIELD / Desmond Doss – “HACKSAW RIDGE”
RYAN GOSLING / Sebastian –“LA LA LAND”
VIGGO MORTENSEN / Ben – “CAPTAIN FANTASTIC”
DENZEL WASHINGTON / Troy Maxson – “FENCES”
Who is missing? The obvious absentee here is Tom Hanks for Sully. He has not been Oscar nominated since Cast Away but it's probably worth noting that SAG did nominate him for Captain Phillips (2013) when Oscar didn't in a tight race. Might Tom Hanks have to wait yet again to return to the Oscar fold?
Who might win? SAG can sometimes go very populist so if La La Land explode in time you might see the Gos winning. But for now this feels like a Casey vs Denzel race. Our guess is that Denzel will win. Yes he has two Oscars but he has never won the SAG.
Surprise. It's Emily Blunt!
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
AMY ADAMS / Louise Banks – “ARRIVAL”
EMILY BLUNT / Rachel – “THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN”
NATALIE PORTMAN / Jackie Kennedy – “JACKIE”
EMMA STONE / Mia – “LA LA LAND”
MERYL STREEP / Florence Foster Jenkins – “FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS”
Who is missing? With the surprise inclusion of Emily Blunt for her thriller and SAG making room for both of Oscar's main default nominee darlings (Adams & Streep) a lot of the key players as we've come to know them were shoved aside. No Huppert. No Negga. No Bening. The latter alarms me but then again... it is getting a very late start and SAG is kind of an early bird.
Who might win? I'm guessing Emma Stone. You?
Dev Patel and Hugh Grant are two leads nominated in this supporting category. But SAG voters are actually required to vote with the campaigns. Oscar voters are not.
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
MAHERSHALA ALI / Juan – “MOONLIGHT”
JEFF BRIDGES / Marcus Hamilton – “HELL OR HIGH WATER”
HUGH GRANT / St Clair Bayfield – “FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS”
LUCAS HEDGES / Patrick Chandler – “MANCHESTER BY THE SEA”
DEV PATEL / Saroo Brierley – “LION”
Who is missing? No really obvious players. The precursors seem to have settled on these guys (two of them leads) though we still don't understand why people aren't shouting Ralph Fiennes in A Bigger Splash.
Octavia Spencer has, arguably, the most endearing role in a film full of endearing roles.
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
VIOLA DAVIS / Rose Maxson – “FENCES”
NAOMIE HARRIS / Paula – “MOONLIGHT”
NICOLE KIDMAN / Sue Brierley – “LION”
OCTAVIA SPENCER / Dorothy Vaughan – “HIDDEN FIGURES”
MICHELLE WILLIAMS / Randi Chandler – “MANCHESTER BY THE SEA”
Who is missing? This is the same lineup as the Globes so we could be locking up now. But given that there's no Bening in Best Actress, we should probably not read too much into there being on Gerwig in Supporting Actress. Perhaps not enough of the nominating committee saw 20th Century Women?
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
CAPTAIN FANTASTIC
FENCES
HIDDEN FIGURES
MANCHESTER BY THE SEA
MOONLIGHT
Who is missing? Who isn't? This was a very tough year to predict in ensemble. I only correctly guessed two of these (eep) thinking Lion, Hacksaw Ridge, and 20th Century Women would make it. La La Land obviously missed because it didn't deserve a spot -- it's laser focused on just 2 actors and they were justly nominated as leads so why double up? Other films besides the ones I incorrectly predicted that might have hoped to be here include Florence Foster Jenkins, Love & Friendship, A Bigger Splash, Little Men, Sully, etcetera...
Who will win? Moonlight we think. But we'll see. The tide could shift.
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
“CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR”
“DOCTOR STRANGE”
“HACKSAW RIDGE”
“JASON BOURNE”
“NOCTURNAL ANIMALS”
Who might win? This could go any which way... but let's guess to Hacksaw Ridge which has more obvious stuntwork with actual actors since superhero action leans heavily toward CGI.
53rd Annual SAG Life Achievement Award
LILY TOMLIN
YAAAAASSS.
TELEVISION PRIZES
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
RIZ AHMED / Nasir “Naz” Khan – “THE NIGHT OF” (HBO)
STERLING K. BROWN / Christopher Darden – “THE PEOPLE V. O.J. SIMPSON: AMERICAN CRIME STORY” (FX Networks)
BRYAN CRANSTON / President Lyndon B. Johnson – “ALL THE WAY” (HBO)
JOHN TURTURRO / John Stone – “THE NIGHT OF” (HBO)
COURTNEY B. VANCE / Johnnie Cochran – “THE PEOPLE V. O.J. SIMPSON: AMERICAN CRIME STORY” (FX Networks)
The usual suspects
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD / Lacie – “BLACK MIRROR” (Netflix)
FELICITY HUFFMAN / Leslie Graham – “AMERICAN CRIME” (ABC)
AUDRA McDONALD / Billie Holiday – “LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR & GRILL” (HBO)
SARAH PAULSON / Marcia Clark – “THE PEOPLE V. O.J. SIMPSON: AMERICAN CRIME STORY” (FX Networks)
KERRY WASHINGTON / Anita Hill – “CONFIRMATION” (HBO)
Bryce Dallas Howard registers as the only surprise here -- who did she bump out?
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
STERLING K. BROWN / Randall Pearson – “THIS IS US” (NBC)
PETER DINKLAGE / Tyrion Lannister – “GAME OF THRONES” (HBO)
JOHN LITHGOW / Winston Churchill – “THE CROWN” (Netflix)
RAMI MALEK / Elliot Alderson – “MR. ROBOT” (USA Network)
KEVIN SPACEY / Frank Underwood – “HOUSE OF CARDS” (Netflix)
no comment. It makes us crazy that SAG doesn't have separate categories for supporting players.
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
MILLIE BOBBY BROWN / Eleven – “STRANGER THINGS” (Netflix)
CLAIRE FOY / Queen Elizabeth II – “THE CROWN” (Netflix)
THANDIE NEWTON / Maeve Millay – “WESTWORLD” (HBO)
WINONA RYDER / Joyce Byers – “STRANGER THINGS” (Netflix)
ROBIN WRIGHT / Claire Underwood – “HOUSE OF CARDS” (Netflix)
Aside from Robin Wright SAG went for an entirely fresh slate. Two for Stranger Things!
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
ANTHONY ANDERSON / Andre Johnson – “BLACK-ISH” (ABC)
TITUSS BURGESS / Titus Andromedon – “UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT” (Netflix)
TY BURRELL / Phil Dunphy – “MODERN FAMILY” (ABC)
WILLIAM H. MACY / Frank Gallagher – “SHAMELESS” (Showtime)
JEFFREY TAMBOR / Maura Pfefferman – “TRANSPARENT” (Amazon)
Still annoyed that Shameless is considered a comedy. And that Macy keeps getting honored when his superior costar does not.
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
UZO ADUBA / Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren – “ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK” (Netflix)
JANE FONDA / Grace Hanson – “GRACE AND FRANKIE” (Netflix)
ELLIE KEMPER / Kimmy Schmidt – “UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT” (Netflix)
JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS / President Selina Meyer – “VEEP” (HBO)
LILY TOMLIN / Frankie Bergstein – “GRACE AND FRANKIE” (Netflix)
SAG can't go without their "crazy eyes". Both Grace & Frankie made it.
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
THE CROWN (Netflix)
DOWNTON ABBEY (Masterpiece/PBS)
GAME OF THRONES (HBO)
STRANGER THINGS (Netflix)
WESTWORLD (HBO)
Do you think they'll say goodbye to Downton Abbey with one last win? It's already taken this prize three times in its run. Or will they finally give it up for Game of Thrones (it never wins here but its stunt ensemble does). Or will they want fresh faces and go for Westworld which has very impressive acting all around?
I enjoyed Stranger Things just like everyone but a "best ensemble acting" nomination? That seems like a stretch with a fairly uneven cast. Who would you have voted for here?
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
THE BIG BANG THEORY (CBS)
BLACK-ISH (ABC)
MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK (Netflix)
VEEP (HBO)
Who would you have nominated for this category?
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series
“GAME OF THRONES” (HBO)
“MARVEL’S DAREDEVIL” (Netflix)
“MARVEL’S LUKE CAGE” (Netflix)
“THE WALKING DEAD” (AMC)
“WESTWORLD” (HBO)
Who might win? Game of Thrones is an awards magnet (particularly in this category) but let's root for Westworld this year.
Reader Comments (107)
Other than Blunt being replaced by Huppert or Bening, I think the acting nominations will be identical to the Oscars.
I don't see Blunt getting Oscar nominated, but I definitely could see Adams and Streep getting nominated by the AMPAAS actor's branch.
Affleck, Portman, Ali and Davis will win.
Ensemble: I'm not sure but let's say that "Manchester by the Sea". For now.
Streep just stepped closer to her 20th,Bening,Negga and Huppert just got worried.Nat looks like Adams is getting her 6th nomination please don't jump off a building,as thought all season it's a Stone/Portman show down.
The supporting categories look locked in good call on Spencer all season and I feel it's Mortensen vs Edgerton for the last spot with Viggo having a slight edge.
The only categorystill unclear is Actress,I can see why Negga missed not showy enough,Huppert foreign language but Bening might just be the biggest surprise SAG loves her but like Nat stated very late out of the gate.
My predictions now
Adams,Stone,Streep,Portman,Huppert or Bening
So Alex Hibbert as Little is not included in the Moonlight ensemble? That dumb rule strikes again. He is integral to the success of that film's ensemble work.
I think the actress categories should be the same at the Oscars. Except Isabelle Huppert will be nominated in Blunts spot.
It's funny to say that the supporting categories are all locked up now- because until just yesterday when I was finalizing my SAG predictions I was very confused with both categories. I'm still not convinced that Spencer is a sure thing- she kinda came out of nowhere with both this and the Globe nomination when people were predicting Monae. But it does sound more Oscary since of course they know her. And in S. Actor Grant was feeling kinda iffy before (I know not to you Nathaniel cuz you love that guy lol) but I guess after his two nominations he seems more concrete. So I am not sure these nominations are locked, they def deserve more discussion than you gave them but the picture definitely is more clear now.
Movie thoughts;
Good:
Viggo
Amy
Captain Fantastic Ensemble
Hidden Figures Ensemble (tho haven't seen the movie, the cast is so great)
Sad:
Ruth Negga
Bening (tho haven't seen the movie)
I think we're looking at the Actor and Supporting Actress lineups for Oscar. Emily Blunt is "obviously" out (until she shows up with an Oscar nomination, too) but who will replace her? My money's on Huppert who would never be nominated here, anyway. But with Negga and Bening, and perhaps Chaistain hovering around, could one of the "sure things" also be bumped? And Supporting Actor is so fluid anyway, two or even three of these nominees could be replaced.
And just a shout-out to Hugh Grant. I've been predicting him ever since I saw FFJ and I haven't seen anyone I've liked better. Go Hugh!!
i hope the sag snub will generate more of "she's worth it" buzz for bening. it is clear that they voted for films that are already seen in movie theaters. plus: is it just me or the sag nominations are a disapointing for the second year in a row? especially in the best actress category
Early prediction for an upset - Grant wins over Ali in the Supporting Actor category.
Adams
Huppert
Portman
Stone
Streep
Those are your five, and this basically solidifies it for good.
TV thoughts:
Good:
Lily and Jane!!!!
Riz
Turturro
Claire Foy
Stranger Things Ensemble
Westworld Ensemble
Anything for Black Mirror
Lazy:
Kevin Spacey (puhlease)
Ty Burrell (boring)
Jeffrey Tambor (we get it, he’s good as Maura)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus (we get it, she’s fucking brilliant)
Uzo Aduba (we get it, she has crazy eyes)
Downton Abbey Ensemble (we get it, now get over it)
Sad:
No nominations for any of The Americans cast
No nomination for Sarah Lancashire in Happy Valley (a master class in acting) – but not sure this was submitted for consideration
Amy Adams I don't agree but understand. Meryl on the other hand, I just can't deal with it, hope she does not get to Oscar.
Emily Blunt must think this is a prank.
When I said that:
Stone
Portman
Adams
were locked back in early September (post-TIFF)
I wasn't playing with my dick. Maybe I was but only because I'm horny.
What can you expect of a group that elects Carteris as President?
I'm pretty sure Adams gets nominated. Huppert too. If the media pushes the "most black actors ever nominated" narrative, Negga will get in.
Happy for Matt Ross and that ensemble nomination for Captain Fantastic. His peers delivered.
Lion and Hidden Figures look like some TV-Movies from the 90s. Hope to be wrong.
Glad to see they're watching (a few) new shows. Not the ones I like the most, but anyway...
Predictions:
Affleck
Portman
Ali
Davis
Moonlight Ensemble
Hacksaw Ridge Ensemble
Cranston
Paulson
Lithgow
Foy
Tambor
Louis-Dreyfus
The Crown Ensemble
Veep Ensemble
Westworld Stunt
SUCKawards means something? Where's the ovrelapping with HFPA? Blunt's nomination is a joke. Meryl as a "de facto" nominee it's staring to piss me off badly.
And how the hell Garfield is better than Hanks? That's why I'm strongly against Portman's performance in Jackie. Nuance and understatement not in Hollywood's dictionary. Never did. Negga and Bening know what I'm talking about.
Huppert will be in, or Il' really send torches to the Kodak Theater myself the day after the nominations.
I see dead people voting everywhere. It seems it didn't stop on november 9th:)
Elated for Emily Blunt!!! THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN sucked but she was amazing in it!! She won't get nominated for an Oscar so I'm so glad she got some recognition for that performance!
Hurrah for Missi Pyle! Wonderful to see her on this list.
Did SAG voters look at Best Actress and think this will show them.
The Middle has been the best ensemble on TV for years.
TV comedy nominees are BORING. The casts of Jane the Virgin and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend are doing the best comedy ensemble work on TV right now, sigh.
I believe 20th Century Women sent their SAG screeners early?
I'm not sure if I am more surprised by Meryl Streep's inclusion or Isabelle Huppert's exclusion. I should not hold it against an actress being preferred by the voting members but ...
Negga, Bening and Huppert probably won't win the Oscars anymore because of the SAG snub unless the Marcia Gay Hardin case will happen here.
Still hoping for a Huppert nomination in the Oscar even if Oscar winners rarely correspond with my choices. Can I still hope for a surprise Lily Gladstone or Ralph Fiennes Oscar nomination or are things to remain as they are now? How the wind suddenly changed direction after the SAG nominations.
I think 20th Century Women and A Bigger Splash are kaput as far as Oscar nominations now. Not their cup of tea (although I haven't seen 20th).
The TV nods make me think we're officially past peak TV. I do like the Westworld acting (even though she show seems unsteady sometimes), but I would give it to Evan Rachel Wood over Thandie or anyone else.
Hot take: Lucas Hedges is also a lead.
Trivia: if La La Land goes on to win Best Picture, it will be the first film to do so without a SAG Ensemble nomination since Braveheart, which was not nominated at the very first SAG Awards in 1995.
I think Blunt and (to a very lesser extent) Streep's nominations reflect that, with SAG, it's better to get your films out theatrically before the nominations are voted on. The ultimate screener is people seeing the movie on their own initiative.
Woo, Stranger Things! And Millie, especially. I wouldn't call that series' cast uneven at all.
Surprises can be fun and Blunt was pretty great but ugh, so bummed for Bening and Negga. I still have to see FFJ but really, we don't have to nominate Streep any time she's good. I have a feeling if Mirren or Staunton gave the EXACT same performance it wouldn't factor at all except for GG's musical/comedy category.
I wonder if Newton will go on to win the Emmy? There's a lot of time between when Westworld finished and the next nominations so it'll be interesting if she can maintain the buzz.
SO happy for Millie Bobby Brown - so good! - and Titus Burgess.
Jacob D: That was kind of the impression I got from the trailer: "Oh, so Affleck is going to get Lead buzz and the kid, who's probably co-lead, is going to get supporting buzz, kind of like Hailee Steinfeld for True Grit."
Part of me is fine with 20th Century missing because I like movies that are actually able to be seen in theaters by at least some of the country before the end of the year-the movies that go wide afterwards I'm not wild about because we should all get to be part of the conversation, not just on the coasts. I say this obviously not having seen it, and I'm sure Bening/Gerwig live up to the buzz.
That being said, I also think this is roughly the Oscar lineup-the only person who doesn't "make sense" is Blunt, who can easily have Huppert substitute in on her behalf. Otherwise while I'm sure one other nominee leaves (Grant? Octavia? Viggo?) in favor of a different name, I can't claim which-this could be one of those years like 2006 where every nominee was already named by either SAG or the Globes.
I have never been this pleased with SAG's nominations before, even though some of my faves were overlooked and there are still too many default TV choices. Goes to show what a jam-packed, diverse year this has been. I especially like the Cast of a Motion Picture nominees, and there is NO OVERLAP between this category and Lead Actress. Is that a first?
Also: there are no contemporary "meat and potatoes" dramas among the TV nominees: two Brit period pieces and three fantasy shows, none network or basic cable.
Does this mean I have to see Hacksaw Ridge now [insert eye-roll emoji here]?
I've reached a zen place that allows me no longer to care that Streep will be a perennial award nomination place holder until she dies, despite the fact that it's often unfair and unwarranted.
I really can't stress how much effort it's going to take to suppress every feeling of rage as Manchester by the Sea (and Affleck) continues to take this long waltz to Oscar glory.
Am I the only one geeking out about how historic a 60% black supporting actress Oscar lineup would be?
Streep is not a de facto nominee. She got great reviews for Florence Foster Jenkins, and the movie was/is popular. Same with Amy Adams for Arrival. SAG and the Oscar actor's branch are not beholden to any kind of expectation that they have to nominate the five women chosen by the Oscar prognosticator herd, which is often WRONG.
It's interesting to see how release date and distribution have skewed the SAG nominations in recent years. Their "safe, bland, boring" picks are usually movies like The Girl on the Train or The Woman in Gold that have been around for months. Movies like the Sarah Silverman indie probably have gotten dedicated SAG pushes to seize on a potential blind spot.
I guess it makes sense that working actors in small markets don't have time to screen all the films—they're not paid like movie critics and their lives aren't cushy like an A-lister's. They're not getting effusively courted by studios like critics or the Academy voters, either. It doesn't matter if Annette Bening gets a big NYC party for her tiny movie that has a limited release on Christmas. SAG voters won't pretend they saw it just because they like her.
When you're Nicole Kidman you can cordon off a whole week in December to do nothing but screen movies in your Nashville mansion. Ditto many other AMPAS voters.
The Bening snud hurts, guys. Really hurts.
And you're just as empty as your movies.
"Oscar actor's branch are not beholden to any kind of expectation that they have to nominate the five women chosen by the Oscar prognosticator herd, which is often WRONG."
But they often do, Tom Ford, and let's not pretend that Streep hasn't been cited for a lot of junk in the past that never would have cut it had the performances been by other actresses.
Am I the only one geeking out about how historic a 60% black supporting actress Oscar lineup would be?
Well, it is their category. Pissed if Spencer becomes a multiple nominee. Such a marginal talent.
20th Century Women is dead as far as Oscar is concerned. Hidden Figures and Fences are late releases, too, and SAG liked them just fine.
The Best Actress line-up will be Portman, Stone, Adams, Streep, and Huppert, with Negga having an extreme long-shot chance. I hope the Oscar nominations for Moonlight, Arrival and FFJ (and Captain Fantastic and Elle, if they happen), which were once unexpected, will convince more distributors to release movies before December next year.
A poosible reason why A Bigger Splash did not happen: no actors I've spoken to (on either coast) liked this movie. (And because of scheduling, I missed catching it on the big screen and haven't seen it yet, which may also be the case for some members of the nominating committee.)
I really will love If the love for captain Fantastic go to the Oscar voters to. I mean a nomination for actor and screenplay? Please?
Portman - Stone -> they are nominated. The other three? I don't see all the love Streep or Negga or Adams right know. What is sad because Adams and Negga deserve a nomination.
Streep no. Please, stay at home this year.
Where are the asian Actors? The Brazillian / Latin actress? The french actress? The Indian-American actress?
We have people like that and they go like the same.
I know there is a hasgtag #Oscarsowhite. But the Award season this year deserve a #AwardsForEveryEthnicity
Kirsten Dunst is coming to the SAGs y'all.
Lucas Hedges is also a lead nominated in Supporting Actor. So make that three.
I'm fascinated by Nicole Kidman this season.
If losing a nomination for The Paperboy and getting a nomination for Lion doesn't send a message to actresses over 40, I don't know what does. It's sad, but true. She finally found the right longsuffering mother to play.
I still feel Huppert gets the number one votes that a Streep or Blunt or indeed Adams isn't getting, so I think she's firmly in play for the Oscar nomination. It's the same scenario as Charlotte Rampling and Cotillard in Two Days - if enough critics groups single you out as the best of the year, I think Oscar has started paying attention to that narrative.
After last year, astonished Helen Mirren didn't turn up here.
With the Golden Globe and SAG nomination, I feel confident that Streep will get the 20th nomination. The only one time a SAG/GG combo did not lead to an Oscar nomination was back in 1994 for The River Wild.
I am also going on a limb to say a with Frears, Grant, and filming in England that a BAFTA nomination seems likely as well- more likely than Bening or Negga at least.
My guess is Adams, Huppert, Portman, Stone, and Streep. Winner will either be Portman or Huppert.
I'm fascinated by Nicole Kidman this season.
If losing a nomination for The Paperboy and getting a nomination for Lion doesn't send a message to actresses over 40, I don't know what does. It's sad, but true. She finally found the right longsuffering mother to play.
Tomei was over 40 when she was nominated for playing a stripper in The Wrestler. I think the mistreatment of Nicole Kidman is entirely about her and not her gender.
@Jon: Where are the asian Actors?
There is one this year, actually: Dev Patel.