2025 SAG Award Nominations: The Biggest Snubs and Surprises
On a strange, terrifying day in Los Angeles, the Screen Actors Guild announced its nominations for the best performances in film and television in 2024. On the movie side, at least, the picks were particularly chaotic, throwing a whole lot of conventional wisdom about the Oscars into total disarray. Here are the biggest snubs and surprises of the nominating committeeās picks for filmāand what they mean for the Oscar race.
SURPRISE: The Last Showgirl PopsGia Coppolaās Toronto Film Festival hit has been a sleeper on the awards trail, racking up a couple Golden Globe nominations and mentions from smaller groups like the Gotham Awards. But when it comes to the overall actors union, we should never underestimate Jamie Lee Curtis, a surprise nominee for supporting actress today. After all, this is the place where her unexpected Oscar-winning run for Everything Everywhere All at Once took off, and sheās a master campaigner with her peers. But Pamela Anderson overtaking some huge, lauded names in one of the most competitive best-actress races in recent memory? Thatās a bona fide shock, adding yet another name to the mix of an impossibly complex Oscar categoryāespecially sinceā¦
SNUB: Hollywood Royalty Left Out of Best ActressAt Sundayās Golden Globes, nominees Kate Winslet, Nicole Kidman and Angelina Jolie lost out on the best drama actress award to Fernanda Torres, brilliant in the Brazilian drama Iām Still Here. That was a small setback for the three Oscar winners, but to not even be nominated by SAG after that? Theyāre officially in a serious Oscar danger zone. But international stars faring well on the trail thus far, like Torres and Hard Truthsā Marianne Jean-Baptiste, were less expected to show up here todayāSAG rarely recognizes non-American indiesāand thus remain competitive at the Oscars as well.
SNUB: Sing Sing UnderperformsLook, with so many strong best-picture players featuring excellent (and starry) casts, it was never going to be easy for A24ās small gem to crack the best ensemble top five. Still, SAG has advocated for films of this scope in the past, offering a boon to their best picture chances and overall positioning in the race. But the film missed out both here and in best supporting actor for Clarence Maclin, as it did at the Golden Globesāsuggesting that the movie may be in play only for Colman Domingo and its screenplay after all. Letās hope Sing Sing starts picking up steam this week, in time for Oscar voting.
SURPRISE: A Complete Unknown OverperformsJust how strong is James Mangoldās Bob Dylan biopic? While late-breaker Wicked was always thought to be a juggernaut, Iād argue A Complete Unknown has been comparatively underrated. But thinking about the film that way should end today. The movie helps lead the charge at the SAG Awards with an impressive four nominations, most surprisingly for Monica Barbaro, whoās so good in it as folk music iconāand occasional Dylan romancerāJoan Baez. She stands a very good shot at making the Oscar list, with the film also nominated here for best ensemble.
SNUB: Denzel Washington, Gladiator IIIāll be honest: I saw this one coming for Oscar nominations morning next week, but never would have imagined that the iconic actorās brilliantly villainous turn would be overlooked by SAG. Heās been nominated by the guild eight times this century! Alas, despite its strong box-office performance, Gladiator II seems to have lost all above-the-line awards momentum, and at this stage should be safely counted outāeven for what once seemed like a very safe bet.
SURPRISE: Jonathan Bailey, WickedSome of those Denzel votes evidently went to the other half of Glicked (sorry), with my personal most shocking film nomination coming for Fiyero himself. Bailey has been doing great work on TV for years. But though heās fresh off of his first Emmy nomination for Fellow Travelers, he hadnāt found any awards traction at all thus far for his breakthrough film role as the prince caught between Elphaba and Glinda. That changes here. Bailey now vaults firmly into a supporting-actor race that feels a whole lot more chaotic than it did a few days ago. He has āDancing Through Lifeā to thank: Itās one of the most dynamic musical performances of the movie, and a true showcase for its central figure.
SURPRISE/SNUB: The ApprenticeIāve been talking on Little Gold Men for awhile now about the serious problem faced by Sebastian Stan: Heās very good in leading roles in two films that feel right on the bubble with the Oscars, in A Different Man (for which he won a Golden Globe) and The Apprentice (which has received more industry attention). I suspect heās splitting votes, because both here and at the Critics Choice Awards, heās missed out entirely on nominations despite there being a pretty open slot in best actor. (SAG went with Daniel Craig, who is well-positioned at this stage to get an Oscar nod as well.) For further evidence of Stanās excellent year working against him, see how his Apprentice co-star Jeremy Strong delightfully, unexpectedly made the SAG shortlist down in supporting actor. The good news is that their film is clicking with Hollywood after all, despite months of backlash and trepidation over its portrayal of Donald Trump. The bad news is that for Stan, it may not matter.
SNUBS: Supporting Actresses of Best Picture frontrunnersFor Curtis, Barbaro, andāthank goodnessāThe Piano Lessonās Danielle Deadwyler to be able to make their way into the supporting actress lineup, some big names would have to fallāand indeed, SAG mostly looked askance at likely Oscar nominees from best-picture frontrunners. Isabella Rossellini hadnāt missed a big nom until now, and while I still think sheās looking strong for an Oscar nod, Iād be a bit more worried for Emilia Perezās Selena Gomez and The Brutalistās Felicity Jones, who have been blanked by other groups as well. (The Brutalist underperformed overall today, with Guy Pearce missing out in supporting actor.) Still, the Oscarsā acting branch tend to lean toward the strongest overall films, so no one in this group should be counted out just yet.
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