Boyhood might be the darling of the critics’ awards, but when it came down to performances alone, the dark show-business comedy Birdman soared with a leading four Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, including best ensemble cast.
Birdman lead Michael Keaton was recognised for his work as the washed-up Hollywood hero Riggan Thomson. Emma Stone, who played Thomson’s troubled daughter, and Edward Norton, as an arrogant theatre star, also picked up supporting nods.
“An ensemble like this hardly ever comes around, and all of us made this very unique film work - [led] by our maestro, director Alejandro Iqarritu,” said Keaton in a statement.
Following with three nominations each were the coming-of-age tale Boyhood, the Alan Turing biopic The Imitation Game, and the Stephen Hawking story The Theory of Everything. All were recognised for their ensemble casts and individual performances.
Conspicuously absent from the SAG nominations were Ava DuVernay’s civil rights drama Selma, and Angelina Jolie’s Louis Zamperini film Unbroken. Neither has been released, but both have been hailed as solid Oscar contenders.
Their luck could change, though, when the Golden Globes nominations are announced on Thursday.
Boyhood has been on a hot streak recently, winning top honours with most of the major critics’ awards, but its small cast faded opposite the star-studded Birdman. Still, Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke both earned nods on Wednesday for their performances which spanned the groundbreaking 12-year shoot.
The Theory of Everything, a romance-spanning look at the lives of Stephen and Jane Hawking, had lead acting nominations for Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones.
The other true-life British genius biopic, The Imitation Game, landed Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley nominations for their portrayals of Second World War-era British logicians Alan Turing and Joan Clarke.
Cumberbatch also was recognised for his television work in Sherlock: His Last Vow.
Wes Anderson’s candy-coloured fable The Grand Budapest Hotel received a single nod for its large ensemble cast, including Norton and Adrien Brody, who also pulled a nomination for History’s Houdini.
Notably, Bennett Miller’s true-crime drama Foxcatcher was not singled out for its overall cast but recognised lead actor Steve Carell and supporting actor Mark Ruffalo. Ruffalo earned a second acknowledgement for HBO’s The Normal Heart.
Jake Gyllenhaal also won a lead acting nomination for his work as the sociopathic freelance reporter in the Los Angeles noir Nightcrawler.
Lead actress film nominees joining Felicity Jones are Julianne Moore as an Alzheimer’s patient in Still Alice, Reese Witherspoon in the soul-searching drama Wild, Rosamund Pike as the missing wife in the thriller Gone Girl, and a dressed-down Jennifer Aniston in Cake.
In the supporting category, Oscar favourite J.K. Simmons snagged a spot for playing the drill sergeant jazz instructor in Whiplash. But other supporting nominations were a bit of a surprise.
Robert Duvall was recognised for the middling courtroom drama The Judge, Meryl Streep for the adaption of musical Into the Woods and Naomi Watts for St. Vincent. Watts is also part of the Birdman ensemble.
The SAG Awards will be presented on January 25 when Debbie Reynolds will be honoured with a lifetime achievement award.
The Guild Awards pave the way to the Academy Awards on February 22. Oscar nominations will be announced on January 15.
In television, HBO led the way with 10 nominations, while Netflix, ABC and Showtime all got five.
Sitcom Modern Family received the most individual nominations with four.
Besides the ABC show, other ensemble comedy nominees include The Big Bang Theory, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Orange is the New Black and Veep. Ensemble drama nominees were Downton Abbey, Homeland, Boardwalk Empire, Game of Thrones and House of Cards.
