Amy Adams and Jared Leto are surprise nominees, but where was Amanda Seyfried?
If yesterday's Golden Globe nominations had you saying, "Wait.................... what?" then let the Screen Actors Guild nominees soothe your wary awards season soul. Whereas the Hollywood Foreign Press Association wakes up and chooses chaos -- which makes for one of the most unexpected if not inexplicable shows of the season -- the actorly voting body of SAG-AFTRA tends to be more reliable.
And on the film side, SAG Awards are a much better gauge of Oscar nominations to come. Which is good news for the performers that felt the love today -- a Best Cast nomination makes your movie a shoo-in for Best Picture -- though there were plenty of surprising inclusions and oversights too. Below, ET runs down the biggest snubs and surprises across both film and TV.
FILM
Surprise: Screen Actors goes in big for Minari. It's not exactly surprising -- considering it's the right choice here -- but SAG righted HFPA's mistake by nominating Minari three times over, including Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. Youn Yuh-Jung, meanwhile, earned a Supporting Actress nomination, while Steven Yeun found his way into Best Actor. Which made less room for...
Snub: Delroy Lindo is M.I.A. for Da 5 Bloods. Whereas the Globes snubbed Spike Lee's war drama entirely, SAG had plenty of love for Da 5 Bloods, nominating it for both Outstanding Cast and for Chadwick Boseman's supporting performance. (It even clocked a nomination for its stunt ensemble.) The only nomination that was missing was Lindo for Best Actor, where he'd been assumed to be one of this year's major contenders.
Surprise: Amy Adams makes a big Hillbilly Elegy comeback. The SAG Awards are allowed one or two wackadoodle choices, and Amy Adams' nomination here is just that. Hillbilly Elegy was all but dead in the water this awards season save for Glenn Close's supporting performance, which was indeed nominated by SAG, but turns out there's still some support for Adams' turn, too. Thus, the Globes' pick, Andra Day (The United States vs. Billie Holiday), was left out in the cold.
Surprise: Jared Leto's supporting nomination is really a thing. When Leto's name popped up yesterday, it felt like the Globes being the Globes. (Remember when Aaron Taylor-Johnson won their supporting actor award for Nocturnal Animals?!) But SAG also going in for The Little Things actor -- over more expected picks like Bill Murray (On the Rocks) or Paul Raci (Sound of Metal) -- indicates this may not be the last we see of Leto this awards season. Will he make it all the way to the Oscars?
Snub: Amanda Seyfried can't crack the SAG Awards. The biggest omission of the morning was Mank's Amanda Seyfried in the supporting actress race. Seyfried was considered a frontrunner for the Oscar, so being passed over by her peers is a major stumble on the road to an Academy Award. Instead, SAG opted for the young star of News of the World, Helena Zengel.
TELEVISION
Snub: Insecure shut out yet again. While Issa Rae's groundbreaking HBO comedy has been celebrated in the past with nominations at the Emmys, Golden Globes, Critics' Choice Awards and more, it's failed to break through at the SAG Awards, never landing a single nod. That trend continued this year, as 2020 awards darling Schitt's Creek, along with Dead to Me and The Flight Attendant, dominated the comedy categories.
Surprise: Bridgerton is the diamond in its first season. A lot can happen in 24 hours. After getting shut out at the Golden Globes, Netflix's biggest hit landed two SAG Award nominations -- one for best drama series ensemble and one for standout star Rege-Jean Page. Considering Netflix's period soap opera features one of the largest ensemble casts, it's no surprise SAG's actors cast their vote for Bridgerton.
Snub: The Pearsons are no longer SAG's favorite ensemble. After winning back-to-back SAG Awards for best cast in a drama in 2017 and 2018, there was a slim chance This Is Us would make a triumphant return this year. Alas, the NBC family drama was only able to snag an individual acting nomination for awards darling Sterling K. Brown.
Snub: No love for Normal People. The Hulu adaptation of Sally Rooney's novel earned an Emmy nomination for Paul Mescal and a Golden Globe nod for Daisy Edgar-Jones, as well as Critics' Choice recognition for both, but neither of the leads were able to break through in their competitive SAG categories, which included stars from The Queen's Gambit, The Undoing, and more.
The 2021 Screen Actors Guild Awards will air on TNT and TBS on Sunday, April 4 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. In the meantime, stay tuned to ETonline.com for complete SAG Awards coverage.
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