Trumbo, House of Cards lead SAG nominees

Trumbo, a biopic about a blacklisted 1940s screenwriter, scored the most nominations for the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards announced on Wednesday, with nods in three categories including best ensemble cast.

On the television side, Netflix’s political drama House of Cards led the field with three nominations, for best actor (Kevin Spacey), best actress (Robin Wright) and best cast performance in a drama series.

Trumbo tells the story of screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, who in 1947 was blacklisted along with other artists for refusing to testify before Congress about alleged Communist propaganda in Hollywood films.

The film’s star Bryan Cranston is up for an award for his portrayal of Trumbo, and co-star Helen Mirren was also tapped for a best supporting actress prize for her role as conservative gossip columnist Hedda Hopper.

Mirren is a double nominee, also given a nod for best actress for her work on Woman in Gold. She competes with Cate Blanchett (Carol), Brie Larson (Room), Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn) and Sarah Silverman (I Smile Back).

Larson’s Room co-star, 9-year-old Jacob Tremblay, who is in Dubai for the Dubai International Film Festival, is nominated for best supporting actor.

In the best drama actor category, Cranston is up against Johnny Depp (Black Mass), Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant), Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs) and Eddie Redmayne for the transgender tale The Danish Girl.

The 22nd annual SAG awards winners will be announced on January 30 in Los Angeles.

The SAG nominations were announced 24 hours before the Golden Globe nominees are set to be revealed, by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA).