Explainer: SAG Awards—Process, who can nominate, recent snubs
The awards season in Hollywood is currently underway in full swing. After the glittery Golden Globes earlier this week that witnessed the presence of almost all of Hollywood, eyes are now set on the Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG Awards). The nominees were announced on Wednesday, with Oppenheimer and Barbie leading the brigade. Let's dive into the SAG Awards's process and its recent snubs.
Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo weren't nominated
While critics' favorites Oppenheimer, Killers of the Flower Moon, and Poor Things attained nominations in different categories, the exclusion of several big names came as a blow. For instance, Leonardo Dicaprio (Killers of the Flower Moon) wasn't nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role, and Mark Ruffalo didn't get nominated for Best Supporting Actor (Male) for Poor Things.
These actors were also snubbed
Other surprise rejections included the overlooking of Natalie Portman for her role in May December (the film didn't receive a single nomination), Rosamund Pike and Barry Keoghan for Saltburn (the film was completely overlooked during the nominations), and Fantasia Barrino (The Colour Purple). The lattermost film also lost out in the Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture category.
What do the rules say?
Per SAG Awards's website, "The nominations balloting is voted on by two nominating committees - one for Motion Pictures and one for Television - each comprised of 2,500 randomly selected members." "These nominating committees are newly selected each year from our database of paid-up and active SAG-AFTRA members who have not served previously in the past 8 years."
What is SAG-AFTRA?
SAG-AFTRA stands for the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. It comprises about 1,60,000 media professionals worldwide. Not too long ago, SAG-AFTRA was on strike for better pay and clarification over AI usage, among other key issues that impacted the fraternity.
Looking at the major categories of the awards
The awards were reportedly first founded in 1995 and since then, are considered one of the biggest ceremonies in Hollywood, alongside Golden Globes and the Oscars. Some of the categories that dominate the ceremony include Outstanding Performance by a Male/Female Actor, Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, and Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, among others.
Leading nominees of the year
This year, nominees include Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., Robert De Niro, Willem Dafoe, Sterling K Brown, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Emily Blunt, Penelope Cruz, Bradley Cooper, and Paul Giamatti, among others. Nominated films include Oppenheimer, Barbie, American Fiction, Killers of the Flower Moon, and Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, etc. The awards will be announced on February 24.
