"Nyad" and "The Color Purple" get a boost from SAG
Wednesday, January 10, 2024 at 11:40AM
by Nathaniel R
Annette Bening and Jodie Foster in "Nyad". Photo by Kimberley French for Netflix
The Screen Actors Guild announced their annual nominations this morning and there are some minor plot twists. They rejected May December in totality (Todd Haynes movies do continue to struggle with non-critic based movie awards bodies), embraced Nyad just like the Globes did, and threw new question marks around both Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. No major plot twists this year, though, like an I Smile Back, Woman in Gold, or St. Vincent.
The SAG Awards will stream live on Netflix this year – a first! – as we’ve long suspected awards shows will move to streaming like everything else has. Comments and a full list of nominees after the jump…
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
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“American Fiction” (3 nominations overall
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“Barbie” (4 nominations overall)
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“The Color Purple” (2 nominations overall)
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“Killers of the Flower Moon” (3 nominations overall)
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“Oppenheimer” (4 nominations overall)
The Color Purple slipped in despite only receiving one individual acting nomination (Danielle Brooks) which is good news for the film since it’s been struggling this awards season. The rest were largely expected to compete.
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
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Bradley Cooper – “Maestro”
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Colman Domingo – “Rustin”
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Paul Giamatti – “The Holdovers”
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Cillian Murphy – “Oppenheimer”
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Jeffrey Wright – “American Fiction”
Prediction success: 4 of 5
Are these are five? It’s a good five though Leonardo DiCaprio could still spoil the party for his grumpy-faced coasting in Killers of the Flower Moon and one longshot that could theoretically still make it is Andrew Scott for All of Us Strangers who is peaking at the right time. But on the other hand Oscar has rarely honored actual LGBTQ actors for playing LGBTQ characters so even Domingo feels vulnerable. Pity that Gael Garcia Bernal (Cassandro) never got any awards traction this season for such fantastic work. It’s a double pity because he’s been consistently great across two decades and so rarely receives awards attention.
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
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Annette Bening – “Nyad”
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Lily Gladstone – “Killers of the Flower Moon”
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Carey Mulligan – “Maestro”
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Margot Robbie – “Barbie”
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Emma Stone – “Poor Things”
Prediction success: 3 of 5 (ouch)
It’s surely Emma vs Lily for the Oscar and neither proved a surprise snub. The ‘surprise’ here, though a very mild one, is Annette Bening for Nyad, muscling out buzzier Oscar hopefuls like Fantasia Barrino (The Color Purple), and especially Sandra Huller (Anatomy of a Fall). We still think Huller has a great shot at the Oscar nomination since Oscar skews far more international than SAG.
The real question here, than is can Huller and Natalie Portman (May December) both land Oscar nominations and if so, who do they replace? What if it’s not Bening but one of the presumed ‘locks’.
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
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Sterling K. Brown – “American Fiction”
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Willem Dafoe – “Poor Things”
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Robert De Niro – “Killers of the Flower Moon”
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Robert Downey Jr. – “Oppenheimer”
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Ryan Gosling – “Barbie”
A surprise to see Mark Ruffalo’s comic work in Poor Things shoved aside. Originally we thought Willem Dafoe would be the top choice but then we saw the actual film and assumed they’d both be in the awards mix. And Ruffalo wasn’t set aside for a worthy choice like Charles Melton, either, who was also passed. Sterling K Brown is a SAG regular and a terrific actor (in general) but we hope he doesn’t repeat with Oscar as we’re exhausted by straight actors getting honored for playing queer roles even when their performances are merely serviceable. And if you’re going for a supporting player for American Fiction, Erika Alexander is a far better choice!
Confession: I think De Niro and Downey Jr aren't very good in their films (both way overplaying it) so this
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
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Emily Blunt – “Oppenheimer”
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Danielle Brooks – “The Color Purple”
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Penelope Cruz – “Ferrari”
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Jodie Foster – “Nyad”
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Da’Vine Joy Randolph – “The Holdovers”
Thrilled to see Cruz back in the mix for her stormy riveting work in Ferrari. She feels utterly humanly dangerous from scene to scene which is just what the movie needs since otherwise it’s just the car races raising the audiences pulse.
Will this lineup transfer to Oscar intact? Unlikely. Surely Cruz or Foster (or both?) will fall away for someone… but who? Moore? Pike? McAdams? Ferrara? Oscar voters are less prone to honor stand alone players now in the supporting categories generally requiring buzz for the film itself to even remember you exist. If you take this trend to its logical conclusion America Ferrara, Julianne Moore, and Rosamund Pike are still real threats for an Oscar nomination despite spotty precursor love… and probably a bigger threat than Cruz or McAdams (despite their critical plaudits).
In short something weird might happen in Supporting Actress on Oscar nomination morning.
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
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“Barbie”
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“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”
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“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”
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“John Wick: Chapter 4”
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“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One”
Barbie appearing in stunts is not a shock. Non-action movies sometimes make it if they’re best picture threats.
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
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“The Crown”
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“The Gilded Age”
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“The Last of Us”
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“The Morning Show”
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“Succession”
Confession: I religiously watch The Gilded Age. Contradiction: I raise my eyebrows at this nomination for the wildly uneven acting on that show which ranges from high school drama simplicity to guilty fun with infrequent touching bits but rarely if ever to the level of “outstanding”. And I say this as someone who wants to love the acting since so many beloved Broadway favourites are in the mix.
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
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“Abbot Elementary”
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“Barry”
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“The Bear”
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“Only Murders in the Building”
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“Ted Lasso”
The usual suspects. In fact for the remainder of the nominations it’s the usual suspects. SAG really stays loyal. They’ve showered aging favourites like Mrs Maisel, Ted Lasso, Barry, Succession, The Morning Show, and The Crown with honors.
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
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Brian Cox – “Succession”
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Billy Crudup – “The Morning Show”
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Kieran Culkin – “Succession”
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Matthew Macfadyen – “Succession”
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Pedro Pascal – “The Last of Us”
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
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Jennifer Aniston – “The Morning Show”
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Elizabeth Debicki – “The Crown”
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Bella Ramsey – “The Last of Us”
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Keri Russell – “The Diplomat”
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Sarah Snook – “Succession”
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
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Alex Borstein – “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
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Rachel Brosnahan – “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
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Quinta Brunson – “Abbott Elementary”
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Ayo Edebiri – “The Bear”
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Hannah Waddingham – “Ted Lasso”
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
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Brett Goldstein – “Ted Lasso”
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Bill Hader – “Barry”
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Ebon Moss-Bachrach – “The Bear”
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Jason Sudeikis – “Ted Lasso”
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Jeremy Allen White – “The Bear”
Since SAG doesn’t have ‘supporting’ categories for TV, they end up double dipping for their favourite shows. But these two sets of nominees really feel like nobody thought twice about their ballot. ‘I’ll take the usual please’.
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
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Uzo Aduba – “Painkiller”
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Kathryn Hahn – Tiny Beautiful Things”
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Brie Larson – “Lessons in Chemistry”
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Bel Powley – “A Small Light”
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Ali Wong – “Beef”
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
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Matt Bomer – “Fellow Travelers”
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Jon Hamm – “Fargo”
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David Oyelowo – “Lawmen: Bass Reeves”
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Tony Shalhoub – “Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie”
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Steven Yeun – “Beef”
SAG voters said "give me whatever the Globes are having! Plus Tony Shalhoub".
Did Tony Shalhoub really need another Monk honor? Numerous other less awarded players doing good work were eligible.
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series
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“Ahsoka”
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“Barry”
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“Beef”
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“The Last of Us”
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“The Mandalorian”
Beef is a great choice here given its shocking bursts of violence and action. The others are more expected.
What do you make of the SAG choices this year?
May December, Nyad, Punditry, SAG, The Color Purple, precursor awards
Reader Comments (44)
The Dafoe/Ruffalo situation is the biggest question mark for me right now -- will it be one or the other or both? They both stand out for different reasons -- the fatherly protector vs. the scene-stealing jokester. (And as long as we're doing confessions: I thought Charles Melton was just meh in May December, I movie I liked. I feel like people are interpreting his expressionless reactions as deeper thought or something).
Your description of the Gilded Age acting made me LOL. So on point! But it is a good show.
PS: Glad somebody somewhere is recognizing Bel Powley for A Good Light. Just a phenomenal, emotional series all around.. if it was on Netflix or Hulu it probably would've been a bigger awards player.
No All of Us Strangers or May December … hard pass on these SAG noms … ugh. Not looking forward to Oscar nominations if this is the way they will go :(
For better or worse, we're basically looking at the Oscar nominations here. My own predictions now are:
Actor: OUT Colman Domingo IN Andrew Scott. I'll indulge in wishful thinking here, mainly because Scott is THAT GOOD and passion is more important than breadth of appeal in the nomination process. If a lot of people haven't seen All of Us Strangers, those who have will rank him 1st. And as Nathaniel noted, he's peaking at just the right time.
Actress: OUT Bening IN Hueller. Sondra Hueller's absence here is no big deal These nominations always skew home-grown. This is also a reason I'm not too worried about the Scott absence.
Supporting Actor: I think we're looking at the 5 nominees, although Ruffalo's (overrated IMO) performance may edge out Brown's or Dafoe's. Personally, I'd be over the moon if Jamie Bell slips in, but I'm not predicting it
Supporting Actress: The most fluid, coming down as it does to which 4 actresses will be losing to Da'vine Randolph's. These may very well be the ones. Cruz has always got her nominations without precursors, so I think she's in. My guess is these are our nominees.
Very happy to see May December get as many nominations as it deserved. What do people see in that thing?
I don't watch any modern TV shows so the nominees hold no interest.
Jodie is still a threat for a nomination,Thank God,I think Cruz will fall to Ferrara or Moore maybe a late surging Pike but it's doubtful.
Bening will fall to Huller,to be honest it's not top level Annette and Jodie steals the film
DiCaprio doesn't deserve it this year,I thought it was one of his worst,he needs to break out of this prestige film cycle which he's been on now for over 25 years and do something smaller or something in a different genre.
I'd prefer anyone but Domingo even though he's gay playing gay,i'd prefer Rogowski or Scott as different types of gay characters rather than an inspirational role model type overplayed by Domingo.
Murphy was good but I didn't really enjoy his film.
I don't get the Blunt love at all,it's such a sorry we've ignored you for years nod.
My own Best Actress pick Teyana Taylor didn't show up so i'm rooting for Carey over Emma and Lily.
Brown will fall to Sessa or Ruffalo,May December isn't clicking for some reason esp Portman,
I have always thought you we're not a fan of the 2 Roberts anyway,I found them both okay but not near De Niro's best,i'd have preferred Harrion Ford in his part.
Downey Jr is fine but his persona grates on me and his Globes speech affirmed that thought.
I feel Satburn is still that quiet dark horse who surges just before the nominatiions and Pike and Keoghan deserve it plus there's usually a repeat nominee from the previous year.
I like the the SAG awards has their own flavor. It also gives us a chacne to celebrate more people at a major awards show.
I'm especially happy for Penelope. I suspect she's a SAG only nomination given how poorly her film has been doing with awards and at the box office, but it's great to see.
I saw American Fiction this weekend and knew it was destined for an ensemble nod. It's just enjoyable and funny, and my theater loved it. Hopefully Wright is safe for his unshowy work.
The Color Purple also feels like an obvious ensemble SAG nominee,so I'm not sure what to make of this nom for Oscars. Maybe it means that the Color Purple will be a BP contender and Brooks is safe and Taraji could shock. Or maybe it could be snubbed entirely.
Very happy to see Annette in the mix. It's easy to see her campaigning and her hard work being a narrative that works with the acting branch. I think Greta Lee and Sandra Huller are still in it though. But maybe Carey is less safe?
I don't get the Ruffalo love. Is it just because he's funny and not the Hulk. He's a great actor, but I'm fine with his snub here. I especially love Dafoe and Youssef in the same film. I thought Ruffalo went for the easy laughs, when those two went for laughs and depth.
I'm happy to see the Gilded Age land an ensemble nod, as it's so in line with Fellowes' writing and his view of drama. However, I think the Last of Us nomination is rather silly, especially since both leads were nominated. They should have made room for another show.
What will it take for SAG to implement supporting categories for the TV side of things? Seriously, what's their aversion to that? It's a bit maddening, especially with how disappointing their TV nominations tend to be year after year.
I'm not a fan of May December, so I'm not upset it was passed over, although I do think Charles Melton would be a worthy nominee and should've been nominated. Interesting that they chose Willem Dafoe over Mark Ruffalo. Interesting that Penelope Cruz made it in here but not at the star-fucking Globes with a field of six slots.
I really thought Fantasia was going to get in at SAG, so perhaps this is officially where she gets off the awards bus. Unless the Academy randomly decides to heavily embrace The Color Purple. Suprised that Annette got in... Well, I guess Netflix did their job! Oh wait, the SAG Awards are hosted by Netflix this year. Hmmm...
I'm glad there's still some fluidity in the acting categories. We definitely seem primed for a few surprises on nomination morning. Best Actor seems the most locked up, which seems pretty par for the course. As deserving as Andrew Scott would be, I'd still prefer this list to Leo being nominated.
Also, I love that Rachel Brosnahan got nominated. It's easy to write off her performance, but her performance in the 5th season matched, and maybe even bested, her performance in the first season. It may have been her best season on the show, and really allowed her to explore new things with her character.
Fuck the SAG for snubbing May December and Past Lives. Over Nyad, really? LOL
And I agree that RDJ is not good in Oppenheimer. At all.
@Amy, Penelope only received one nomination without precursor support. For all other nominations, she received globe, sag, and CCA noms. She also got her last nomination with a Sony Pictures Classic release that had her do a ton of roundtables and press (she was even on Fresh Air), and she won two of the big 4 major critics prize. I think she's still in the hunt, but I don't think she's assured a nomination this time.
If Dafoe is Poor Things sole Best Supporting Actor nominee does anyone think Dafoe could get a Michael Caine type career win over Robert and Ryan.
Cruz is that one nominee like Pfeiffer in 2002,Watts in 2014 and Blanchett 2021 lone SAG no Oscar nomination,more people are going to see Moore,Pike,Ferrara's performances than Cruz's as good and as liked as she is.
Nat what turned you off the 2 Roberts performances,I just thought they mostly played it as a one note villain,I did like their performances they certainly weren't bad but nothing i'd put as No 1 of the year.
Leo- grumpy faced coasting?! Please do better. Leo was fantastic in this movie. Played the part so well - it was a tough line to play such a weasely character but find a few sheds of light - one of his best.
@sadman seems plenty of people disagree. He’s really good in the film!
Ideally I'd like to see Ruffalo and Defoe both get the Oscar nomination. However, if it's only going to be one, I hope it is Defoe. I found his performance more engaging and consistent in quality. Ruffalo got a bit too cartoony for me near the end, though it's a hell of a show he puts on.
MrRipley79 - so let me get this right - you’re knocking Leo for taking his time and choosing great movies - you’d rather he appeared in any old rubbish and take the cash?!
Not a Leo stan (far from it), but three of his best performances in the past ten years were in The Wolf of Wall Street, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Don’t Look Up, all very different from his “high-prestige” vehicles. (I totally agree that he doesn’t deserve it this year.)
I am not surprised by Bening’s nod. She is an outspoken advocate for SAG, while serving in a vital role in its leadership. This commitment endears her to the general membership and may well lead her to a second SAG victory for Female Actor in a Leading Role,
Yeah, really quite bummed from Andrew Scott, Greta Lee and Charles Melton not making it in after relatively strong showings from critics -- but we all knew critics are not industry. At least Scott has BAFTA support (hopefully) though even that is blunted slightly since Murphy's in the race. Still hopefully AT LEAST ONE of them will get an Oscar nod. Let's hope all of them.
Honestly, I'm very happy for that GILDED AGE ensemble nomination. And the fact that they nominated pretty much EVERYONE in the cast is also worthy of applaud unlike the movies egregiously not including some big names (btw TV shows are based on episode count while movies are based on solo credit cards which is a dumb system).
So many movie nominations are just blah.
But I get it - it's an industry award voting on industry friends.
Ryan Gosling should be Joy Randolphing the season.
Amy Camus - I had the same question after watching Barbie - what do people see in this thing?
@Gary not at all,it's one obvious Oscar play after another with prestige directors,like he's not happy unless he's in a huge budget Oscar player,the last time he made something different was Gatsby and a small budget film in the mid 90's.
He coulkd use his considerale clout and acting experience on something out of his prestige playhouse,that's what was I was saying,a small supporting role or an indie Horror anything but Oscar type films,he doesn't have to play tough all the time.
I consider Wolf of Wall St Don't Look Up and OUATIH all prestige films.
Joaquin Phoenix does it Michelle Williams does it so why not Leo.
I'd prefer not to see him in rubbish just for a cheque as that's not what I wrote.
Hey it's only my opinion it's not the gospel,feel free to diagree,if you liked him in it good for you,i'm happy you have an alternate take.
I didn't care for most of the frontrunners and preferred smaller films this year like Passages,1,000 and One,Showing Up May December Past Lives Are you There God It's Me Margaret and Saltburn.
Frank Zappa I loathe the term stan,nothing wrong with being passionate about a topic.
I love Claudio but have really missed your commentary, Nathaniel. Glad to see you say that Downey isn’t very good in Oppenheimer. I am so annoyed that we’re watching him waltz to an Oscar for a performance that practically any acclaimed character actor could improve on (and constituted the weakest part of the film) - while Gosling, the best part of the biggest movie of the year, will basically win nothing.
I say it every year, but they should give an award for best ensemble for limited series/made for TV movie. It's unfortunate that the casts of Beef, Fellow Travelers, Fargo and probably 2 others are unable to get additional recognition for performances that aren't able to make it to the crowded single performance nominations.
I so hope Cruz actually gets the Oscar nomination. It's such passionate and balanced work, it could have been the winner in another year (she's still giving a better performance than all the other actresses vying for a nod).
I would appreciate De Niro and DiCaprio getting snubbed for Melton and Scott, and that KOTFM underperforms and doesn't win anything in the end.
I demand an open thread because I have THOUGHTS
Despite the SAG snub, I think Hüller is getting that Oscar nod — just like Huppert got in for ELLE despite also having been snubbed by SAG.
Is it really a boost? The Color Purple seems just as likely to make the AMPAS year-end top ten list (aka the Best Picture lineup) as it did before. That’s hardly an honor these days just as a SAG ensemble nomination hardly is—SAG loves high profile films with big casts.
A real "boost" would've been an Actress or second Supporting Actress nomination.
I’m gonna echo the top comment that Charles Melton was just ok in May December. He mostly sulks around emotionless the entire movie, and in his big moments I thought his tv background showed, just a little too overwrought. I stand by my prediction that Sessa makes it into the supporting actor lineup, and only one of the Poor Things guys, though I’m not sure which one.
In Actress, I doubt Bening gets any nominations beyond today, and I also think Carey Mulligan is vulnerable. Stone, Gladstone, Robbie and Huller all feel like locks to me, despite Huller’s miss today. I still think she may win BAFTA.
Actor could go 100 different ways on Oscar morning. I am still not counting out Keoghan or Efron. Does American Fiction even exist? I’ve never heard of it outside the context of awards predictions. A shame because I like all the actors involved.
Supporting Actress could also go anywhere. There are about a dozen names it would not surprise me to hear on nomination morning. I’m starting to suspect Foster is solidly in. Especially with True Detective premiering this week.
Actor:
I still think Leo will swap out for Colman, although I'll keep my fingers crossed for a completely surprising Teo Yoo nomination.
Actress:
I can't see Bening being a contender this year, but I agree that Carey Mulligan might be less of a lock than it seems. I think the real race for #4 and #5 is between Greta Lee, Mulligan, and Portman.
S. Actress:
Cruz's spot might stick with her, but could also tilt toward Rosamund Pike, Julianne Moore, or (unfortunately) America Ferrera.
S. Actor:
I think this is locked aside from #5 between De Niro and Charles Melton. I think May December might play better with the broader Academy membership than with SAG, and I suspect he'll have plenty of passion votes.
I think Academy voters will love Maestro and I think Mulligan is locked up. Robbie is more vulnerable. That isn't to say Cooper will win, but his chances are better than they seem right now.
Penélope Cruz’s nomination finally spurred me to see “Ferrari” today which I had not been very interested in. Oh Penélope, why do I ever doubt you? Why do I not run to see every movie you are in? You are so fabulous and alive and I feel more alive just watching you.
Yes, Cruz’s performance is (far) better than many of the actresses put forward for supporting actress.
And surprisingly, I really liked the movie “Ferrari”. Cinematography, editing, sound, so good. Director Michael Mann is one of the old school, all time skilled, masters of the craft. IMO, I thought Mann’s direction was better than Nolan’s.
And that’s why it’s always a good year for movies. When you finally see some of those movies that kind of fell by the wayside, or weren’t promoted or distributed or lauded etc. you think, hey, this movie is actually pretty terrific.
@Nathaniel R - why Brown can't get a nomination but Gael should? They're both straight. Ok, you think Brown is not as good, but then this doesn't have anything to do with his sexuality, right?
Now, on a different topic, I'm so frustrated Scarlett Johansson is not getting any mentions for her stellar work in Asteroid City. I confess I was counting on the SAG Sarah Silverman style nomination for ScarJo
I also don't get it,are you saying that Brown who I haven't seen shouldn't get the nomination because his performance doesn't warrant it or because he is straight playing gay therefore he should be snubbed because of this despite the quality of his work and are you also saying because a fave of yours Scott a gay man playing a gay man may likely be a snub Brown's nomination shouldn't happen.
I don't think the Gael comment had anything to do with sexuality - I think it was a note saying he wishes he had more award attention for a great performance in general. Maybe because he was playing queer is where Nathaniel was going with it - Brown is straight playing gay and getting awards attention but Gael also is and not getting any - there's the comparison maybe?
I do have to say, if we see Brown and Cooper nominated and not Scott or Domingo come Oscar time - i do have to agree that it would be sad that two straight actors are nominated for playing gay but two gay actors playing gay are not.
Not going on a tangent about gays should be nominated for playing gay and straights shouldn't - i'm just making an observation about it.
This year in general has not been very exciting for me - i love May December, Past Lives and All of Us Strangers - and thaaaaat's about it.
I think i saw it somewhere before someone stating that even though last year was a runaway for EEAAO (eh) - at least we had Tar, Triangle of Sadness, Banshees of Inisherin invited to the party - all of which were miles better than the eventual winner.
This year just isn't hitting anything for me, and the ones i LOVE don't seem to be able to make it in within the year of the blockbuster....
It's Bening, babes! ❤️❤️❤️
Ok, here we go.
Considering EVERYTHING can happen, certainly we'll see snubs and surprises like EVERY YEAR.
Actor: Cooper, Giamatti and Murphy are in. Wright, probably. Domingo out, in his place I predict Keoghan, followed by Scott.
Leo out, obviously.
Actress: I believe in Bening. Really.
Bening, Gladstone, Mulligan and Stone. Robbie out. She doesn't deserve the nomination. Seriously, I like her, but a nomination for that performance? No!
So, in her place, Hüller.
Barrino? She never had a chance. Lee? She deserved a nomination, but unfortunately...
Supporting Actor: DeNiro, Downey Jr and Gosling are in. For the other 2 slots, I say Dafoe and probably Brown. Melton didn't impress me. Ruffalo? I can't stand that man, he's name is overrrating, he's grotesque, his only nom I can hardly accept is for "Foxcather". Period.
Jamie Bell would be a dream, John Magaro a nice surprise.
Supporting Actress: Foster and Rundolph obviously are in. The rest is complicated. I think Brooks can be completely snubbed with her movie. I like Blunt, but I can't see her really safe. I think Cruz can be stronger than these two. If she could gat a nomination for "Nine", everything is possible. I'd include Moore and Pike. And I think it's possible.
About TV nominations, just one thing to say. There's one snub I still can't believe and I'll neverunderstand: Jeremy Strong in "Succession". It hurts. I hurts deeply. The last shot of the series, Ken's empty eyes, was enough for a nomination. Surely it's Culkin's year (finally!), but Strong is a force of nature as Kendall Roy. And more than this: he's the eldest boy!
PS: Sometime I have some strange thoughts.
Some surprises nominations are coming, some out of nowhere, some almost cameos, but all at certain point unexpected nominations like Hermione Baddeley in "Room at the Top", Jane Alexander in "All the President's Men", Jonh Lithgow in "Terms of Endearment", Alan Alda in "The Aviator" and Judd Hirsch in "The Fablemans" last year.
Who?
Ton Conti and Florence Pugh in "Oppenheimer" or Michael Cera in "Barbie".
Who knows... who knows...
@Tony L-agree. I feel that last year the race involved a dream team with Everything, Banshees, Tar, Triangle and I also would add The Fabelmans. This year we have for sure good movies which anyway personally I (and a lot of people seeing the comments around) don't care. This year the really interesting material is in International Feature.
I read the comments on Gael Garcia Bernal and Sterling K. Brown as separate.
My thoughts are that Gael was brilliant in Cassandro, and I think it's pretty criminal that he was overlooked this year. His film is more of a biopic, but it's hardly the type of story we typically get to see. It's also really interesting seeing his character embrace his identity and forge a new path publicly. It's also a bummer because outside of a golden globe for his Amazon show and an early BAFTA nod, he hasn't really been given the awards attention that he deserves. He's so talented.
On the other hand, Sterling K Brown, who is an awards magnet and who I was glad to see sweep for OJ and This Is Us, doesn't do very much in American Fiction. He's a great part of the ensemble and adds depth to his character, but if you told me he shot this between projects in a week or two, I wouldn't be surprised. He's very hot in the film and plays a slightly more complex version of a gay man we all know, but he's there to service to Wright's character development by fleshing out the family story. He's fine, but he doesn't merit an individual award. It's also especially perplexing because Erika Alexander (who does have a lower profile) is in the same film giving a great supporting performance in a role that could be nothing, but isn't.
I also think it's a bit frustrating that Colman Domingo, an out actor, is on the bubble. Say what you will about his performance, and that of Scott, but Hollywood tends to overlook out actors playing gay in movies.
Also, I just think Amazon has been doing a terrible job this season, like they have most seasons. The fact that Cassandro hasn't been part of the conversation for Gael, that Air missed an ensemble nomination, and that The Burial hasn't been in the conversation at all just indicates that Amazon doesn't know what they're doing when it comes to campaigning. Since Sound of Metal and Borat overperformed, they've struggled to make any of their subsequent Oscar contenders really hit with voters.
My question is: Could voters pull a Kate Winslet and --for instance-- vote Julianne Moore as lead?
In the past, some gay actors and organizations "demanded" that a straight actor should not play a gay character. Well, as they presented it, then gay actors should not play straight characters. You cannot have it both ways. And, mind you, I am gay. We are talking about ACTORS, about people who get into the skin of a character!
Everyone -- TO CLARIFY. i am not trying to say that straight actors should never play gay characters and vice versa. Sexuality is too fluid and I dont feel hardline about this at all. But I AM very much saying that awards bodies have a habit of only honoring straight actors for playing gay and not gay actors for playing gay. That's a huge problem. You don't even have to be critically lauded or get MVP reviews to get nominated for playing gay (if you're straight) but gay actors have to be almost universally lauded to get any awards traction whatsoever for playing gay.
This just inherently shows that there's a huge bias problem leaning in favor of straight actors viewed as "stretching" or "being brave" when they're playing gay characters. It's gross to me. That's all i'm saying.
in the end i don't care if someone is gay or straight if the performance is spectacular -- but if the performance is nothing special, i will continue to complain about straight actors being nominated for playing gay characters.
Sterling K Brown just isn't that great in American Fiction but he's very much "playing gay". Meanwhile, another straight actor, Gael Garcia Bernal, is spectacular "playing gay" this year so I'd love it if he were nominated (sadly that's not happening).
Fabio-- ooh, Florence Pugh for Oppenheimer. That would freak people out on nomination morning and then everyone afterwards would say "of course".
Nathaniel,
Definitely. And I think Pugh really can surprise us all. 😂