SAG Award Nominations Just Added Some Much Needed Excitement to the Season

Did the Screen Actors Guild Award nominations just blow up everybody's Oscar expectations? Yes.

After the Golden Globes, the awards season was beginning to feel a little predictable. The winners seem obvious; the big movies—namely Oppenheimer and Barbie—are going to win everything; there just wasn't anything too exciting about the upcoming season. And now, just days into the awards season, the SAG nominations dropped an Oppenheimer-level nuclear bomb on a number of people's hopes to take home that little naked gold guy come Oscar night (March 10).

The SAG Awards will stream live on Netflix on February 24.

Before we get to that, make sure you're subscribed to the Parting Shot podcast, because I'm talking to nominees and covering the awards season unlike you'll get anywhere else. You can also subscribe to my newsletter For the Culture, keeping you updated on every twist and turn of the season.

OK, the reason why we award trackers put so much stock into guild nominations—like SAG, or the Director's Guild, or the Writer's Guild—is that unlike at the Golden Globes or critics awards—which are voted on by journalists—these guild awards are voted on by members of that creative community, the same process the Academy Awards uses. Which means that, since it's the artists nominating other artists, the SAG Awards are the best indicator of who will likely be nominated—and win—come Oscar night.

The biggest shock came from the SAG shutout of Todd Haynes' May December. While the film's Best Picture chances have been losing steam these past few weeks, the performances have always been standouts and recognized across the board, particularly Charles Melton's performance. He didn't get nominated and neither did Julianne Moore or Natalie Portman. I was legit shocked by Melton's absence in the Best Supporting Actor category, and a little shocked about Moore's absence from the Supporting Actress category.

So who took their places? Well, they were surprises, too! While American Fiction has been a hit with critics, it hasn't been the awards darling some predicted. But Sterling K. Brown was able to edge out a Best Supporting Actor SAG nomination. In the Supporting Actress category, Penelope Cruz had made it onto some lists for her performance in Ferrari, but wasn't seen as a frontrunner. Well, she picked up that SAG nomination.

After the Golden Globes, I had expected Poor Things to take the place of The Color Purple in many of the categories at SAG, particularly Best Cast. But to my surprise, The Color Purple was able to pick up a cast nomination. Fantasia Barrino was sadly left out of the Best Actress category, but Danielle Brooks (who has been killing it this awards season) picked up her expected Best Supporting Actress nomination.

(That said, one of the easiest categories to pick this year is Best Supporting Actress. At this point, there's no stopping Da'Vine Joy Randolph's domination over the season for her performance in The Holdovers. And rightly so, because it was incredible and I'm officially obsessed with her. I needed to make sure this was put in print and published somewhere.)

One surprise was in the Best Actress category. Annette Bening's performance in Nyad has made it onto some lists and nominations, but it wasn't necessarily expected. (The same could be said for her co-star's performance, Jodie Foster, who, too, has picked up a few mentions this awards season, but certainly hasn't dominated.) Well, these two Hollywood icons picked up Actress and Supporting Actress nominations respectively, which means they'll likely make the list come Oscar nominations.

(Speaking of Bening, she's right up there with Glenn Close and Angela Bassett as the actresses long overdue for an Oscar win. Sure, Bassett just picked up an Honorary Oscar for her career, but, to me, that doesn't count. I want them to hold the Oscars they've won in their iconic little hands. We can do this. We need to do this.)

The last surprise out of the SAG nominations was for the absence of a nomination for Leonardo DiCaprio for Killers of the Flower Moon. While the cast picked up a nomination, he was left out in the Best Actor category. He was likely replaced by Colman Domingo, who was nominated for his incredible performance in the film Rustin. Frankly, I'm OK with this DiCaprio snub. Not because I dislike DiCaprio, but because if we're looking at performances, his performance doesn't compare to the work Domingo put in this year.

Actually, one more thing, and it's the big pink elephant in the room: Barbie. When it didn't pick up many Golden Globes, I was worried for the Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling's chances of a nomination come Oscar time. But, both were able to pick up nominations for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor respectively, calming my nerves that they'll likely pick up Oscar nominations for their work in the highest-grossing film of the year.

Personally, I'm so glad the SAG nominations did what they did because it added some excitement in an otherwise stale awards season. And who doesn't like a little drama? It's why we do what we do.

And guess what? You can listen to my chat with Colman Domingo on the Parting Shot podcast. Oh, and I've also spoken with Charles Melton and Fantasia Berrino. So go on and subscribe.

Below is the full list of film nominations for the SAG Awards, which will stream live on Netflix on February 24.

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

Bradley Cooper, Maestro
Colman Domino, Rustin
Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers
Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

Annette Bening, Nyad
Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon
Carey Mulligan, Maestro
Margot Robbie, Barbie
Emma Stone, Poor Things

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

Sterling K. Brown, American Fiction
Willem Dafoe, Poor Things
Robert De Niro, Killers of the Flower Moon
Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer
Ryan Gosling, Barbie

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer
Danielle Brooks, The Color Purple
Penelope Cruz, Ferrari
Jodie Foster, Nyad
Da'Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

American Fiction
Barbie
The Color Purple
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer