SAG Awards Announced: Film Snubs And Surprises
Oscar season is finally upon us. After weeks of discussing what film might be the Academy’s darling, we finally have an idea of the lineup that may be announced for the Academy Awards. This morning, the Screen Actors Guild, otherwise known as the SAGS, announced their picks and, as always, there were some snubs and surprises.
Our coverage of Fruitvale Station was early on in Oscar season during the later half of the summer. We had sat down with director Ryan Coogler and actor Michael B. Jordan as they discussed the experience in bringing the true life story of Oscar Grant’s death to the screen.
Since then, both of the young men have received praises from the different critic awards, but when it came to the SAGs, neither picked up a nomination. Coogler was missing in the directing category, and Michael B. Jordan wasn’t announced for Best Actor. The ensemble cast, which included Melanie Diaz, Ahna O’Reilly and Octavia Spencer, was also missing from Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture. We’re not counting Fruitvale Station out just yet, as these nominations reflect upon the SAG voters, which tend to stray a bit from the rest of the awards season.
Another surprising snub came as a second actor was left out in the Best Actor’s category. Robert Redford, who had a one man show in All Is Lost, failed to get a nomination from his peers. In addition, Saving Mr. Banks‘ ensemble starring Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson failed to receive nominations for Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture. Although Saving Mr. Banks did receive a nomination in the Best Actress spot as Thompson walked away with a nomination for her role as Mary Poppins author P.L. Travers.
A bit of a surprise came in the nominations for Forest Whitaker in Lee Daniels’ The Butler. Although Whitaker gave a rather strong performance in the film, it was still an early submission as it came out in October. Also, 12 Years a Slave pulled the bulk of attention away from Lee Daniels’ The Butler as the controversial subject and strong performances from Michael Fassbender and Chiwetel Ejiofor seemed to outshine any praise for Whitaker.
Another surprise came in the form of Barkhad Abdi’s nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role for Captain Phillips. His performance was insanely strong in the film, but he didn’t receive a lot of attention for his role as the Somali pirate that takes control of Captain Phillips’ boat. Most of that is believed to be because it wasn’t a particularly showy role.
As for the top contenders, Matthew McConaughey, Meryl Streep, Jared Leto, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Cate Blanchett, Lupita Nyong’o, and Julia Roberts all received nominations for their roles.
To see a full list of the SAG nominations, click here.
