by Nathaniel R
Betty Gabriel is not included in the Get Out ensemble nomination. For shame, SAG!The Film Experience started a tradition of exposing the Screen Actors Guild Awards unfortunate rules regarding ensemble nominations back in 2004. If you'd like a little history as to why we became advocates for change in this matter you can find the details at the bottom of the post. But for now let it suffice to say that SAG's rules for inclusion strike us as punitive for less famous actors and thus unbecoming given that they are a union and unions are ostensibly there to support the workers. The rule boils down to this: you need your own title card in a movie to be so honored - being on a shared title card or in the credits scroll won't do. With a new set of nominees for Outstanding Cast of a Motion Picture let's investigate which valuable players were unjustly left out while their (usually) more famous coworkers were honored, no matter their actual contributions to the movie in question.
2017 SAG OUTSTANDING CAST NOMINATIONS
Who was excluded this year despite their fine work?
THE BIG SICK
Nominees (in billing order): Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano, Anupam Kher, Zenobia Shroff, Adeel Akhtar
Who was left out? The first shared title card belonged to Bo Burham and Aidy Bryant, with the second shared card going to Kurt Braunohler and Vella Lovell. Burnham, Braunohler and Bryant played Nanjiani's inner circle of comedian friends. Lovell was fantastic as a would-be arranged bride for Nanjiani but anyone who has seen her on Crazy Ex Girlfriend knows that she is skillful with mixing sharp comedy with dramatic undertow.
Erika Alexander, LilRel Howery, Betty Gabriel, and Marcus Henderson in "Get Out"
GET OUT
Nominees (in billing order): Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Caleb Landry Jones, Stephen Root, LaKeith Stanfield, "and" Catherine Keener.
Who was left out? LilRel Howery and Erika Alexander, so hilarious together in the sidebar scenes involving the lead's best worried friend and a disbelieving police detective, are together on the first shared title card. Still more egregiously missing from the list are two of the key players at the home where the bulk of Get Out's action takes place. Betty Gabriel, who we are sometimes prone to argue gives the best performance in this instant classic, shares the second title card with the frequently jogging Marcus Henderson, both of them are mysteriously "off" and subservient, much to the confusion of Daniel Kaluuya as the visiting guest. Richard Herd, who plays the grandfather to Allison Williams' family in flashback scenes, is also on that last shared card.
John Karna, Jake McDorman, Laura Marano, Bayne Gibby all co-star in "Lady Bird"
LADYBIRD
Nominees (in billing order): Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts, Lucas Hedges, Timothée Chalamet, Beanie Feldstein, Lois Smith, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Odeya Rush, Jordan Rodrigues, Marielle Scott.
Who was left out? Jake McDorman and John Karna have the first shared title card and Bayne Gibby and Laura Marano the second. Lady Bird's single title cards are extensive (11 actors!) so almost all the key characters with ample dialogue are represented in their nomination. There are a ton of minor characters so none of the exclusions are particularly upsetting but for the principle of the thing. For what it's worth McDorman plays the kind/hot teacher that Lady Bird's best friend (played by Beanie Feldstein) has a crush on, while John Karna plays the lead of the in-movie high school production of "Merrily We Roll Along," that [sorry that's a spoiler] has a crush on.
Lucy Faust as desperate Vera Atwood in "Mudbound"
MUDBOUND
Nominees (in billing order): Carey Mulligan, Jason Clarke, Jason Mitchell, Mary J Blige, Rob Morgan, Jonathan Banks, "and" Garrett Hedlund.
Who was left out? Dylan Arnold and Kerry Cahill have the only shared title card and the only cast card that isn't from one of the two key families (The McCallans and the Jacksons) that the film revolves around. They play Carl Atwood and Rose Trickleback respectively. Because Mudbound is a well-populated picture there are a lot of other cast members in small parts not included in the nomination here most noticeably the child actors from both of the key families and Lucy Faust as Vera Atwood the desperate wife who so unnerves Carey Mulligan's Laura.
THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING MISSOURI
Nominees (in billing order): Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Abbie Cornish, Lucas Hedges, Zeljko Ivanek, Caleb Landry Jones, Clarke Peters, Samara Weaving, "with" John Hawkes "and" Peter Dinklage
Who was left out? With Three Billboards having 11 single title cards most of the key cast members are included. But not all. Kerry Condon, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Kathryn Newton, and Brendan Sexton III are the actors sharing a title card in this film. Britt-Gibson plays "Jerome" who helps Frances with the billboards after his own mistreatment by police. Newton is the murdered daughter (in flashbacks). Sexton doesn't get a character name but he plays a suspect who exudes evil. Two cast member not included in the cards, but just on the credit scroll who make impressions are Sandy Martin as Sam Rockwell's racist hateful mother and Amanda Warren as Mildred's friend Denise who the police target to get back at Mildred.
But if you're wondering about ensembles that missed the nomination entirely, well it was a crowded year. Something had to be the surprise omission. The movies that were expected to be competitive that were overlooked here are The Post and The Shape of Water. Though some would argue Dunkirk also had a clear shot.
A BIT OF HISTORY ABOUT OUR OUTRAGE IN THIS MATTER.
We first noticed the problem in 2004. For a handful of years we were the only website to complain about it but now the outrage is fairly widespread and if we had a hand in that and it eventually leads to change, we will be quite pleased. Our investigation began with The Aviator. Why was Gwen Stefani, who had a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo as Jean Harlow in The Aviator, suddenly a SAG nominee whilst Matt Ross, who has since become a director (hi Captain Fantastic) was left out of the honor despite having a huge role by Leonardo DiCaprio's side which he totally aced? The problem, as we discovered, was their respective level of stardom at the time. Ever since we've tried to advocate for the Screen Actors Guild to change their rules for Ensemble awards. In order to be included in a film's official ensemble you have to have a single title card. Those are usually reserved for people who are the most famous or have the best agents who can finagle such a deal for them. For films where the principal cast is listed together (not common but the norm in, say, Woody Allen films) the only actors who are eligible for inclusion in the SAG Ensemble honors are the ones on the first shared card. This secondary rule led to the horrific exclusion of Corey Stoll in 2011. He was not yet famous when he gave the best performance in Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris, but he was excluded from that film's Ensemble nomination even though he surely helped them get nominated in the first place since people just loved his work. Most of Woody Allen's films have just one actor card but the cast was big enough that time that they were split into two cards with the less famous players on the second one.