Two days after Golden Globes nominations and three days after the Critics Choice Awards, the SAG Awards nominations have already altered the momentum of the Awards Season race. The SAG Awards is the first awards show of the year to announce just five nominees in each of its four acting categories, which are not divided-up by genre.
Biggest Shocker: Emily Blunt is nominated for Best Actress for her performance in the thriller “The Girl on the Train”. While she is great in the movie, it seemed to be forgotten by now – especially with Annette Bening (“20th Century Women”), Jessica Chastain (“Miss Sloane”) and others gaining attention (but both were snubbed by SAG). Blunt has never received an Oscar nomination.
“The Devil Wears Prada” and “Into the Woods” co-star Meryl Streep joins her in the Lead Actress race for “Florence Foster Jenkins”. Streep received her 30th Globe nod for the film, and with a Best Actress in a Comedy win (her first solo Critics Choice Award – she previously tied twice for Best Actress), she may now be on track for her 20th career Oscar nomination. Hugh Grant also got a Supporting Actor nomination for “Florence”, his first in this category this season following Lead Actor in a Comedy Critics Choice and Globe nods.
And Viggo Mortensen solidifies his status as an Oscar contender with a Best Actor nomination for the indie “Captain Fantastic”, which is also up for Best Ensemble. The film was submitted as a Comedy for Critics Choice and a Drama for the Globes, earning Mortensen nominations in those respective Lead Actor categories.
In the usually overlooked Best Stunt Ensemble category (which isn’t, but should be, awarded on TV), drama “Nocturnal Animals” joins action blockbusters “Captain America: Civil War”, “Doctor Strange”, “Jason Bourne” and Mel Gibson’s war biopic “Hacksaw Ridge”, which also garnered a Best Actor nomination for star Andrew Garfield.
The 23rd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards are Sunday January 29th on TNT and TBS.