Thoughts on the 2017 Screen Actor Guild Nominations.

The SAG nominations were announced yesterday and they concretised some actors’ positions in the Oscar race, whilst throwing doubt on others. Here be my thoughts on the film categories (I don’t watch enough TV to be able to comment on those).

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading RoleJUDI DENCH / Queen Victoria – “VICTORIA & ABDUL” (Focus Features)
SALLY HAWKINS / Elisa Esposito – “THE SHAPE OF WATER” (Fox Searchlight)
FRANCES McDORMAND / Mildred – “THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI” (Fox Searchlight)
MARGOT ROBBIE / Tonya Harding – “I, TONYA” (Neon)
SAOIRSE RONAN / Lady Bird McPherson – “LADY BIRD” (A24)

Dame Judi Dench is the surprise nominee here, who takes what many had predicted would be Meryl Streep’s slot (although the complete omission of The Post altogether has led some to speculate that it probably screened too late for SAG voters, who post their ballots in early), means that there are more English actresses here (Dench and Hawkins) than American ones (McDormand). 

Margot Robbie’s shameless Oscar-begging appears to have paid off (whenever a beautiful woman de-glams, awards bodies shower them with awards) and she’s likely to be nominated for the Oscar in this category along with Hawkins, Ronan and McDormand, leaving fifth place up for grabs.

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading RoleTIMOTHÉE CHALAMET / Elio – “CALL ME BY YOUR NAME” (Sony Pictures Classics)
JAMES FRANCO / Tommy Wiseau – “THE DISASTER ARTIST” (A24)
DANIEL KALUUYA / Chris Washington – “GET OUT” (Universal Pictures)
GARY OLDMAN / Winston Churchill – “DARKEST HOUR” (Focus Features)
DENZEL WASHINGTON / Roman J. Israel, Esq. – “ROMAN J. ISRAEL, ESQ.” (Columbia Pictures)

The surprise omission here is three time Best Actor Oscar-winner Daniel Day-Lewis. His fellow Brit and namesake, young Daniel Kaluuya, who’s excellent performance as a man wary of meeting his white girlfriend’s parents, is the chief beneficiary.

Denzel Washington continues to gain heat for his work in Roman J. Israel, Esq., off the back of a Golden Globe nomination as well, which is surprising as the film received poor reviews. I shall be watching The Disaster Artist this weekend, to see if James Franco’s performance is nomination-worthy.

Although Gary Oldman is still considered frontrunner in this category, I would love it if SAG surprised us and gave the win to New Yorker Timmy Chalamet for his sensitive, magnetic performance as a precocious young man who realises he doesn’t have all the answers when he falls in love with his father’s research assistant. If the SAGs awarded Emma Stone for singing and dancing badly, the least they could do is acknowledge Chalamet, who spoke French and Italian and played the guitar and piano. 

And, unlike Stone, he did all those things well.

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting RoleMARY J. BLIGE / Florence Jackson – “MUDBOUND” (Netflix)
HONG CHAU / Ngoc Lan Tran – “DOWNSIZING” (Paramount Pictures)
HOLLY HUNTER / Beth – “THE BIG SICK” (Amazon Studios/Lionsgate)
ALLISON JANNEY / LaVona Golden – “I, TONYA” (Neon/30West)
LAURIE METCALF / Marion McPherson – “LADY BIRD” (A24) 

Holly Hunter in for Octavia Spencer, otherwise exactly the same as the Golden Globes. I would guess, as it is now, Janney and Metcalf are locks for the Oscar, Chau is looking good, and the last two places will be between Hunter, Blige and Spencer.

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

STEVE CARELL / Bobby Riggs – “BATTLE OF THE SEXES” (Fox Searchlight)

WILLEM DAFOE / Bobby – “THE FLORIDA PROJECT” (A24)

WOODY HARRELSON / Willoughby – “THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI” (Fox Searchlight)

RICHARD JENKINS / Giles – “THE SHAPE OF WATER” (Fox Searchlight)

SAM ROCKWELL / Dixon – “THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI” (Fox Searchlight)

Carell’s nomination is a surprise Battle of the Sexes underperformed at the Box Office, but category fraud (he was nominated in his true category, Lead, at the Golden Globes on Monday) helped him hustle a nomination here (that's hustle worthy of Bobby Riggs himself, truth told), at the expense of Michael Stuhlbarg, who’s egregious snubs throughout awards season continue to rile me. 

In fact, the omission of Call Me By Your Name in this category means that Chalamet is the only one of the film's cast to be honoured by the SAGs, suggesting that the Guild may not have responded quite as warmly to the film as the critics did.

Three Billboards’ double nominations for supporting actor suggest that this was a film SAG responded warmly to.

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
THE BIG SICK (Amazon Studios/Lionsgate)
ADEEL AKHTAR / Naveed
HOLLY HUNTER / Beth
ZOE KAZAN / Emily
ANUPAM KHER / Azmat
KUMAIL NANJIANI / Kumail
RAY ROMANO / Terry
ZENOBIA SHROFF / Sharmeen

GET OUT (Universal Pictures)
CALEB LANDRY JONES / Jeremy Armitage
DANIEL KALUUYA / Chris Washington
CATHERINE KEENER / Missy Armitage
STEPHEN ROOT / Jim Hudson
LAKEITH STANFIELD / Andrew/Logan King
BRADLEY WHITFORD / Dean Armitage
ALLISON WILLIAMS / Rose Armitage

LADY BIRD (A24)
TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET / Kyle Scheible
BEANIE FELDSTEIN / Julie Steffans
LUCAS HEDGES / Danny O’Neill
TRACY LETTS / Larry McPherson
STEPHEN McKINLEY HENDERSON / Father Leviatch
LAURIE METCALF / Marion McPherson
JORDAN RODRIGUES / Miguel McPherson
SAOIRSE RONAN / Lady Bird McPherson
ODEYA RUSH / Jenna Walton
MARIELLE SCOTT / Shelly Yuhan
LOIS SMITH / Sister Sarah Joan

MUDBOUND (Netflix)
JONATHAN BANKS / Pappy McAllan
MARY J. BLIGE / Florence Jackson
JASON CLARKE / Henry McAllan
GARRETT HEDLUND / Jamie McAllan
JASON MITCHELL / Ronsel Jackson
ROB MORGAN / Hap Jackson
CAREY MULLIGAN / Laura McAllan

THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI (Fox Searchlight)
ABBIE CORNISH / Anne
PETER DINKLAGE / James
WOODY HARRELSON / Willoughby
JOHN HAWKES / Charlie
LUCAS HEDGES / Robbie
ŽELJKO IVANEK / Desk Sgt.
CALEB LANDRY JONES / Red Welby
FRANCES McDORMAND / Mildred
CLARKE PETERS / Abercrombie
SAM ROCKWELL / Dixon
SAMARA WEAVING / Penelope

Timothee Chalamet and Manchester by the Sea’s Lucas Hedges, both who play Lady Bird’s love interests, have two SAG nominations this year. For Hedges, who was nominated last year for Best Supporting actor and in Manchester’s ensemble, that’s four nominations in 2 years.

The Big Sick, who were completely ignored at the Golden Globes, receive a boost with their nomination here, and Mudbound continues to gain Best Picture heat, although whether that will be enough to overcome the Academy’s aversion to nominating Netflix creations, only time will tell.

And finally, huge props to A24 (the production company who bought us this year's Oscar winning masterpiece, Moonlight), who are the only company to be represented in all five movie categories. They deserve it, and keep up the good work!

Based on yesterday’s SAG nominations, I’m predicting seven Best Picture nominees at the Oscars: Dunkirk, Get Out, The Shape of Water, Three Billboards, The Florida Project, The Post and Lady Bird, although this could very change depending on the actual results of the precursors (which I will of course be trying to prognosticate as per), and the BAFTA nominees, too.