'Three Billboards,' 'Big Little Lies' Lead SAG Nominations

HOLLYWOOD, CA — "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" picked up a leading four Screen Actors Guild nominations Wednesday morning -- one more than "Lady Bird" -- in what looks to be a close race with four other films receiving two nominations each.

Casts of both films were also nominated for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture -- the SAG Awards equivalent of a best-picture award -- along with the actors from "The Big Sick," "Get Out" and "Mudbound."

Frances McDormand will also be vying for an individual Actor statuette for her leading role in the crime drama "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri." Her competition includes Judi Dench ("Victoria & Abdul"), first- time nominees Sally Hawkins ("The Shape of Water") and Margot Robbie ("I, Tonya") and Saoirse Ronan ("Lady Bird").

Actors nominated for leading roles include Timothee Chalamet ("Call Me By Your Name"), James Franco ("The Disaster Artist")), first-time nominee Daniel Kaluuya ("Get Out"), Gary Oldman for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in "Darkest Hour" and Denzel Washington as "Roman J. Israel, Esq."

Supporting actors hoping for an Actor include Steve Carell for his role as tennis chauvinist Bobby Riggs in "Battle of The Sexes," Willem Dafoe ("The Florida Project"), Woody Harrelson ("Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri"), Richard Jenkins ("The Shape of Water") and Sam Rockwell ("Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri").

First-time nominee Mary J. Blige was recognized by her supporting role as a farmer's wife in the sharecropper drama "Mudbound" and will compete against Hong Chau ("Downsizing"), Holly Hunter ("The Big Sick"), Allison Janney ("I, Tonya") and Laurie Metcalf as the bracingly candid mother of a quirky teenager in "Lady Bird."

On the television side of the awards, the comedies "Black-ish," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "GLOW," "Orange Is the New Black" and "Veep" have been nominated for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a comedy series.

Drama ensembles nominated include "The Crown," "Game of Thrones," "The Handmaid's Tale," "Stranger Things" and "This Is Us."

"Big Little Lies" was one of the big winners in television, with four acting nominations in the television movie or miniseries category for Laura Dern, Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon and Alexander Skarsgard. Both "GLOW" and "Stranger Things" matched that total of four including nominations for their stunt ensembles.

Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon, who faced off as Joan Crawford and Bette Davis in "FEUD: Bette and Joan," will compete again with Dern, Kidman and Witherspooon.

Actors getting a nod for their work in television movies or limited series alongside Skarsgard are Benedict Cumberbatch as "Sherlock: The Lying Detective," Jeff Daniels in "Godless," Robert De Niro for his turn as Bernie Madoff in "The Wizard of Lies" and Geoffrey Rush ("Genius.")

It is always meaningful to be recognized by other actors, De Niro said in a statement Wednesday morning. "Wizard of Lies" is a great example of how rewarding the collaborative effort can be.

There was a tie in the comedy actors category, leaving six actors vying for television honors: Anthony Anderson ("Black-ish"), Aziz Ansari ("Master of None"), Larry David ("Curb Your Enthusiasm"), Sean Hayes ("Will & Grace"), William H. Macy ("Shameless") and Marc Maron ("GLOW").

Actresses nominated for their comedic television roles include Uzo Aduba ("Orange Is the New Black"), Alison Brie ("GLOW"), both Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin for their roles in "Grace and Frankie" and Julia Louis- Dreyfus for her turn in "Veep."

In the television drama category, actors recognized with a nomination include Jason Bateman ("Ozark"), Sterling K. Brown "This Is Us"), Peter Dinklage ("Game of Thrones"), David Harbour ("Stranger Things") and Bob Odenkirk for "Better Call Saul." Dinklage garnered three nods, including for his part in the cast of "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri."

Millie Bobby Brown, who plays the otherworldly "11" in "Stranger Things" was among the actresses getting a nod for their dramatic television roles, alongside Claire Foy, for her portrayal as Queen Elizabeth in "The Crown," Laura Linney ("Ozark"), Elisabeth Moss ("The Handmaid's Tale") and Robin Wright ("House of Cards").

Netflix was the big content winner, pulling in 19 nominations, well ahead of HBO's 12. No other network could boast more than three, which was the number NBC received, making it the lead among traditional networks.

Fox Searchlight led studios with seven nominations, followed by relative newcomer A24 with 5 and a long list of other studios with one or two each.

The SAG Awards are chosen by thousands of actors, making the honor among the most coveted of the busy awards season because of the element of peer recognition.

The nominations were announced at 7 a.m. at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood by Olivia Munn and Niecy Nash.

The 24th Annual SAG Awards will be presented Jan. 21 at the Shrine Auditorium, in a ceremony hosted by actress Kristin Bell. It will be the first time the SAG Awards ceremony has ever had a host.

Morgan Freeman will receive the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, SAG-AFTRA's highest honor.

By ELIZABETH MARCELLINO, City News Service; Photo by Photo by Merrick Morton courtesy of 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation