SAG Awards snubs and surprises: Angelina Jolie, Denzel Washington, ‘Sing Sing’
The Screen Actors Guild Awards are always good for a significant surprise or two, and this year’s SAG Awards nominations were no different. On Wednesday, as the Screen Actors Guild announced its contenders for 2025 honors in film and television, several big names were rewarded — including Wicked, A Complete Unknown, and Emilia Perez — while some were left ignominiously behind. Ahead, the biggest snubs and surprises at this year’s SAG Awards.
SNUB: Angelina Jolie (Maria) in Best Actress
Jolie’s Oscar candidacy has taken some serious hits over the last several days, and her snub by the Screen Actors Guild is the latest tough blow following her BAFTA Awards longlists omission and loss at the Golden Globes. The Maria star can still receive an Oscar nomination, of course – the BAFTA Awards and SAG Awards similarly snubbed Kristen Stewart, but she was still ultimately an Oscar nominee. But Jolie’s journey just got a whole lot harder.
SURPRISE: Pamela Anderson (The Last Showgirl)
While the rest of the Film Actress field played out as expected according to the pre-nominations odds — with Cynthia Erivo, Karla Sofia Gascon, Mikey Madison, and Demi Moore all landing nominations — Anderson secured the fifth slot for The Last Showgirl. Anderson is one of the season’s best comeback stories — and with nominations from the Golden Globes, Gotham Awards, and now Screen Actors Guild Awards, the former Baywatch star should be taken seriously as an underdog Oscar contender, presumably battling Jolie, Nicole Kidman, and international stars Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Fernanda Torres for the final Best Actress spot. Or maybe her nomination is just proof the SAG Awards were smitten with The Last Showgirl — the indie film also scored an unexpected supporting actress nomination for Jamie Lee Curtis.
SNUB: Sebastian Stan (x2) in Best Actor
Double the Stan, double the snub. With two great performances this year in The Apprentice and A Different Man, support for Stan has not been able to consolidate on one performance — notably, his win at the Golden Globes happened in part because he was a double nominee, not competing against himself. As a result, he’s left without a SAG nomination despite having worked the campaign trail as hard as anyone.
SURPRISE: Jamie Lee Curtis (The Last Showgirl) in Best Supporting Actress
Curtis, who won at the SAG Awards in 2023 for Everything Everywhere All At Once en route to earning her first-ever Oscar, landed a shock nomination on Wednesday for her scene-stealing performance in The Last Showgirl. Whether this puts Curtis into the Oscar conversation more seriously is up for debate, however, since she has failed to hit any other significant precursors this season, including the BAFTA longlists.
SNUBS: Isabella Rossellini (Conclave) and Margaret Qualley (The Substance)
Curtis and surprise nominee Monica Barbaro for A Complete Unknown filled two of the five supporting actress positions, leaving expected nominees Rossellini and Qualley shut out of individual recognition. Both remain predicted to score Oscar nominations (and each notably hit the BAFTA longlists for supporting actress), unlike nominees Danielle Deadwyler and Curtis, perhaps a sign that their support from international voters is stronger than here in the U.S.
SURPRISE: Yura Borisov (Anora) for Best Supporting Actor
Borisov, the ostensible heart and soul of Anora, has been sitting among the predicted Oscars five for Best Supporting Actor for weeks. But few thought the Russian star had a chance with the SAG Awards because of his status as a relative stateside newcomer. That Borisov rated with the SAG nominating committee further buttresses his Oscar bona fides.
SNUB: Guy Pearce (The Brutalist) for Best Supporting Actor
The Brutalist struggled with the SAG Awards, missing Best Ensemble, Best Supporting Actress for Felicity Jones, and most surprisingly, Best Supporting Actor for Pearce.
SNUB: Denzel Washington (Gladiator II) for Best Supporting Actor
Washington has received eight SAG Awards nominations in his career and is broadly considered one of the greatest actors of his generation. But not even the respect Washington’s peers have for him, nor his stature in the industry, could get him over the hump in a competitive Best Supporting Actor field for Gladiator II — particularly as the movie has lost a lot of its juice since November.
SNUB: Sing Sing and Clarence Maclin for Best Supporting Actor
Pundits have suggested that industry support for Sing Sing and Maclin would materialize all season at the SAG Awards, where the little-seen A24 drama was potentially win-competitive for its ensemble. But to win, a film must be nominated. Sing Sing missed the key ensemble bid on Wednesday and failed to land Maclin among the supporting actor contenders. That is a tough pill for the little film and potentially puts it outside the Oscars Best Picture race.