LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ensemble nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Awards highlight diversity in both film and television, including nods for “Beasts of No Nation,” ”Straight Outta Compton,” and “Orange is the New Black.” Yet, individual nominations, especially for movies, remained largely white — only adding to concerns this will be yet another monochromatic awards season.
Idris Elba was nominated for best supporting actor in the child soldier drama “Beasts of No Nation” and is the sole individual minority nominee in the movie categories of the 22nd annual SAG nominations announced Wednesday.
Elba said in a statement that he was “floored” and “humbled” by the recognition.
“It goes without saying that my performance is shared with the tremendous actors I work with,” wrote Elba, congratulating his “Beasts” co-stars Abraham Attah and Kurt Egyiawan as well.
Elba was also nominated for his leading role in TV’s “Luther.”
Hollywood’s lack of diversity has become of critical concern following last Oscar’s all-white acting slate. But while the predominantly black casts of both “Beasts” and “Straight Outta Compton” were recognized for their ensemble work, alongside “Trumbo,” ”Spotlight” and “The Big Short,” individual acting nominations in most film categories exhibited a striking lack of diversity. Thursday’s Golden Globe nominations could bring more attention to the issue.
Though “Straight Outta Compton” was a box office and critical hit, its award season prospects were a big unknown. On Monday, the African-American Film Critics Association named the N.W.A drama their best of the year, but it’s been mostly overlooked by other critics’ awards.
Overall, there were more diverse individual nominees in television than film, thanks in part to the fact that TV divides nominees into comedy and drama, which provides more inclusion. In addition to Elba’s nod, other TV nominees included Queen Latifah for “Bessie,” Uzo Aduba for “Orange is the New Black” and Viola Davis for “How to Get Away With Murder.”
The SAG nominations also helped bring a murky awards season into a bit better focus. Nominees are selected by separate movie and TV nominating panels, each comprised of more than 2,000 randomly selected SAG members, and the organization’s choices highlighted a few underdog performances.
Leading female performance nominees included Cate Blanchett (“Carol”), Brie Larson (“Room”) and Saoirse Ronan (“Brooklyn”), all of whom have dominated awards buzz, but also Sarah Silverman for the depression indie “I Smile Back,” and Helen Mirren for “Woman in Gold,” about an elderly Jewish woman looking to reclaim art once stolen by the Nazis. Mirren was also nominated for a supporting performance for “Trumbo.”
“I am honestly in shock and just tickled pink that this happened,” said Silverman in a statement. “My first thought was that I can’t believe my Mom isn’t here to see this. I wish I believed she is somewhere seeing it. Maybe for today, I will.”
Silverman’s mother died in August.
The lead actor nominees were a bit more expected, with recognition for Bryan Cranston (“Trumbo”), Johnny Depp (“Black Mass”), Leonardo DiCaprio (“The Revenant”), Michael Fassbender (“Steve Jobs”) and Eddie Redmayne (“The Danish Girl”).
In the supporting category, Christian Bale was nominated for “The Big Short,” Mark Rylance for the Cold War thriller “Bridge of Spies,” Michael Shannon for playing a predatory real estate agent in “99 Homes” and young star Jacob Tremblay for playing a child in captivity in “Room.”
In a statement, Tremblay, 9, said that he was in Dubai with his family and they plan to celebrate with ice cream sundaes tonight.
Supporting actress contenders included Rachel McAdams (“Spotlight”), Kate Winslet (“Steve Jobs”), Alicia Vikander (“The Danish Girl”) and Rooney Mara (“Carol”).
Many members of the SAG movie panel also vote for the Academy Awards and as a result, the SAG nominees have traditionally served as a helpful indicator of potential Oscar acting nominees. “Spotlight” is also emerging as one of the top contenders this year, too. The critical favorite about the Boston Globe’s investigation into the Catholic Church’s sex abuse scandal should be a front-runner for best picture.
On the television side, Netflix’s political drama “House of Cards” led with three nominations, including best drama ensemble, best male performance for Kevin Spacey and best female performance for Robin Wright. With work in both movies and television, Netflix scored particularly well, earning a leading 8 nominations.
The 22nd annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will be broadcast live from Los Angeles on TNT and TBS on Jan. 30.
SAG NOMINATIONS 2016:
Movies:
Actor: Bryan Cranston, “Trumbo”; Johnny Depp, “Black Mass”; Leonardo DiCaprio, “The Revenant”; Michael Fassbender, “Steve Jobs,” Eddie Redmayne, “The Danish Girl.”
Actress: Cate Blanchett, “Carol”; Brie Larson, “Room”; Helen Mirren, “Woman in Gold”; Saoirse Ronan, “Brooklyn”; Sarah Silverman, “I Smile Back.”
Supporting actor: Christian Bale, “The Big Short”; Idris Elba, “Beasts of No Nation”; Mark Rylance, “Bridge of Spies”; Michael Shannon, “99 Homes”; Jacob Tremblay, “Room.”
Supporting actress: Rooney Mara, “Carol”; Rachel McAdams, “Spotlight”; Helen Mirren, “Trumbo”; Alicia Vikander, “The Danish Girl”; Kate Winslet, “Steve Jobs.”
Cast: “Beasts of No Nation,” ”The Big Short,” ”Spotlight,” ”Straight Outta Compton,” ”Trumbo.”
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Television:
Actor in a TV movie or miniseries: Idris Elba, “Luther”; Ben Kingsley, “Tut”; Ray Liotta, “Texas Rising”; Bill Murray, “A Very Murray Christmas”; Mark Rylance, “Wolf Hall.”
Actress in a TV movie or miniseries: Nicole Kidman, “Grace of Monaco”; Queen Latifah, “Bessie”; Christina Ricci, “The Lizzie Borden Chronicles”; Susan Sarandon, “The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe”; Kristen Wiig, “The Spoils Before Dying.”
Actor in a drama series: Peter Dinklage, “Game of Thrones”; Jon Hamm, “Mad Men”; Rami Malek, “Mr. Robot”; Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul”; Kevin Spacey, “House of Cards.”
Actress in a drama series: Claire Danes, “Homeland”; Viola Davis, “How to Get Away With Murder”; Julianna Margulies, “The Good Wife”; Maggie Smith, “Downton Abbey”; Robin Wright, “House of Cards.”
Actor in a comedy series: Ty Burrell, “Modern Family”; Louis C.K., “Louie”; William H. Macy, “Shameless”; Jim Parsons, “The Big Bang Theory”; Jeffrey Tambor, “Transparent.”
Actress in a comedy series: Uzo Aduba, “Orange is the New Black”; Edie Falco, “Nurse Jackie”; Ellie Kemper, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”; Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “Veep”; Amy Poehler, “Parks and Recreation.”
Ensemble in a Drama Series: “Downton Abbey,” ”Game of Thrones,” ”Homeland,” ”House of Cards,” ”Mad Men.”
Ensemble in a Comedy Series: “The Big Bang Theory,” ”Key & Peele,” ”Modern Family,” ”Orange is the New Black,” ”Transparent,” ”Veep.”
Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture: “Everest,” ”Furious 7,” ”Jurassic World,” ”Mad Max: Fury Road,” ”Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation.”
Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series: “The Blacklist,” ”Game of Thrones,” ”Homeland,” ”Marvel’s Daredevil,” ”The Walking Dead.”
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Life Achievement Award:
Carol Burnett
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