For the full list of this year's TV nominees, head here.
Today, the nominees were announced for the 30th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in advance of the Feb. 24 ceremony. And in the wake of last year’s historic actors’ strike, it’s bound to be an extra-celebratory night. Now, it’s time for members of SAG-AFTRA to make their picks for the best film and television performances of 2023.
The outcome of SAG’s four major film acting categories is seen as a reliable predictor of Academy Awards success; the winners who emerge from the compelling lineup of nominees have a high chance of taking the top prizes on the industry’s biggest night.
In film, SAG Awards categories include outstanding lead male and female performances, supporting male and female performances, ensemble, and stunt ensemble. Unsurprisingly, “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” top this year’s bill with four nominations each (plus an additional stunt nod for the former). They’re joined in the best cast category by “American Fiction,” “The Color Purple,” and “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
Other nominated performances hail from a variety of projects, among them Emma Stone and Willem Dafoe in the fantastical “Poor Things”; Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan in Leonard Bernstein biopic “Maestro”; and Colman Domingo in the civil rights drama “Rustin.”
Here’s the full rundown of the big-screen performances in contention.
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Bradley Cooper, “Maestro”
Early coverage of Cooper’s performance in “Maestro,” which he also directed and co-wrote, centered on his use of prosthetics to play famed Jewish composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein. And while the nose is impossible to miss, it doesn’t define Cooper’s work in the film. The Oscar nominee simultaneously plays the showman and digs into his character’s soul. He precisely re-creates Bernstein’s vigorous conducting style, all while delving into his interior life as he struggles with his place in the public eye.
Colman Domingo, “Rustin”
Domingo has delivered outstanding film and TV performances over the past few years, with notable roles in “Zola,” “If Beale Street Could Talk,” and on “Euphoria” (which netted him an Emmy). In George C. Wolfe’s “Rustin,” the actor proves that he has the talent and charisma to carry a film on his own. He plays Bayard Rustin, a gay civil rights activist who has been largely overlooked by history, in the months leading up to the 1963 March on Washington. Domingo channels Rustin’s well-documented charm and gravitas, wielding them as both a weapon and an emotional shield. His performance soars.
Credit: David Lee/Netflix
Paul Giamatti, “The Holdovers”
Nearly 20 years after their fruitful collaboration on “Sideways,” director Alexander Payne and Giamatti reunite for “The Holdovers,” which gives the actor one of his best roles in years. The Oscar nominee is perfect as Paul Hunham, a jaded history teacher at a prestigious Northeastern boarding school in the early 1970s. He’s resentful when the headmaster tasks him with chaperoning the handful of students staying on campus over Christmas break—particularly the rebellious Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa). But over the course of the holidays, he and Angus open up to each other, aided by the presence of warm, no-nonsense cafeteria administrator Mary Lamb (Da’Vine Joy Randolph). Giamatti never lets his performance slide into schmaltz, even when the film takes a sentimental turn.
Cillian Murphy, “Oppenheimer”
Murphy’s performance as the titular physicist in Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster biopic is one of the most talked-about of the year, and for good reason. The actor brings nuance to the role, communicating the power and tragedy of human possibility. As Nolan condenses the world-altering invention of the atomic bomb into the story of one man, Murphy evokes the excitement that comes with innovation—and, later, Oppenheimer’s immense guilt over the devastating effects of his creation. His grim-faced performance is nearly as haunting as the horrific events that inspired the film.
Jeffrey Wright, “American Fiction”
Wright has found his ideal role in this Cord Jefferson film. The Emmy winner plays Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, a prickly professor and author who returns home to Boston in the wake of a family tragedy and professional failure. Monk is frustrated by a publishing industry he believes forces Black artists to cater to white audiences, adopting a pseudonym to pen a novel that he finds offensively stereotypical. But when the book catches the eye of publishers and Hollywood, Monk is forced to pose as a wanted criminal. Wright reconciles these complex character facets brilliantly; it’s a true showcase for a perpetually underrated actor.
Annette Bening, “NYAD”
Awards voters love stories about actors who work their asses off to prep for a demanding role. This year’s case in point is Bening, who stars in this edge-of-your-seat sports biopic from Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi. The four-time Oscar nominee literally immersed herself (in the ocean!) to play Diana Nyad, the legendary long-distance swimmer who, at the age of 64, swam from Havana to Key West without the aid of a shark cage. But it isn’t only physical commitment Bening brings to the role. She paints a specific portrait of an unapologetically queer woman who’s as narcissistic as she is driven, turning what could have been a hagiography into the story of a complex human being. Whether she’s fending off box jellyfish or butting heads with her best friend–cum–swim coach, Bonnie Stoll (Jodie Foster), Bening’s Nyad is a towering presence.
Lily Gladstone, “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Those who caught 2016 indie “Certain Women” know that Gladstone’s talent is undeniable. Now, Martin Scorsese’s 1920s-set “Killers of the Flower Moon” gives her the chance to show off her chops to a wider audience. The actor plays Mollie Burkhart, an Indigenous woman who’s wooed—and later betrayed—by World War I veteran Ernest (Leonardo DiCaprio). As a grim plot against the Osage people unfolds, the sheer agony Gladstone evokes is chilling; her performance is just as remarkable for depicting what it’s like to fall in love against your better instincts. Mollie’s early interactions with Ernest are marked by a combination of wariness and flirtation, giving viewers insight into the contradictions at the heart of the film’s central relationship.
Carey Mulligan, “Maestro”
There’s an old saying that behind every great man is a great woman—and in Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro,” Felicia Montealegre is the personification of that axiom. Mulligan delivers a nuanced performance as composer-conductor Leonard Bernstein’s (Cooper) longtime wife and companion; her Montealegre is a woman who’s so committed to the belief that she’s the fuel to her husband’s creative fire that she realizes too late that she’s been consumed by it, as well. The two-time Oscar nominee is unforgettable as Bernstein’s foil, perfectly portraying her character across a variety of ages and moods.
Credit: Jason McDonald/Netflix
Margot Robbie, “Barbie”
Robbie’s star turn in Greta Gerwig’s candy-colored blockbuster is, in a word, everything. As the titular doll, the two-time Oscar nominee shows off her range as she transitions from blissful ignorance in her Malibu Dreamhouse to the pain and devastation of discovering what women endure in the real world. Robbie’s performance is as physical as it is emotional; witness Barbie’s horror when her high heel–ready feet go (gasp!) flat. The way she falls to the ground, body still in a rigid seated position (prompting Kate McKinnon’s Weird Barbie to quip, “She’s not dead, she’s just having an existential crisis”), should be played in acting classes on a loop. This Barbie broke out of her box to deliver the performance of the year.
Emma Stone, “Poor Things”
What Stone accomplishes in Yorgos Lanthimos’ trippy sci-fi is nothing short of incredible. The Oscar winner plays Bella Baxter, a woman who’s been reanimated by a scientist (Willem Dafoe) following her suicide. When the film begins, Bella has the brain of an infant; through barely formed words and halted physicality, Stone skillfully conveys her character’s childlike nature. But over the course of the film, her mind and body develop, both sexually and intellectually. Stone’s performance is bold not only because she often appears nude, but also because of the way she subtly builds Bella’s evolution into a full-fledged human being.
Sterling K. Brown, “American Fiction”
This Emmy winner throws himself into Cord Jefferson’s debut film with gusto. As Monk Ellison’s (Jeffrey Wright) brother Clifford, who becomes isolated from the rest of the family after coming out as gay, Brown is both a wild card and the emotional center of the film. He’s a vibrant presence, even as he buries his feelings beneath drugs and casual hookups. He may just be the only person who can put things in perspective for Monk as he strives to maintain his authenticity as a writer.
Willem Dafoe, “Poor Things”
All you need to know about Defoe’s Dr. Godwin Baxter, the scientist whose experiment kicks off the events of Yorgos Lanthimos’ bizarre period piece, is that he simply goes by “God.” He lives up to the title when he reanimates the corpse of an unnamed pregnant woman (Emma Stone). Dubbing her “Bella,” he treats her as both his daughter and his lab rat. The four-time Oscar nominee naturally revels in Godwin’s strangeness as a man deformed by his own father’s experiments. Godwin’s mix of tenderness and condescension toward Bella make him one of the year’s most complex characters.
Credit: Atsushi Nishijima
Robert De Niro, “Killers of the Flower Moon”
De Niro has played plenty of gangsters in Martin Scorsese movies; but none of them were quite like real-life villain William Hale in “Killers of the Flower Moon.” With a folksy Oklahoman accent, the Oscar winner plays the rancher as a man whose welcoming smile conceals a reserve of deadly venom. He easily earns the trust of the Osage people he’ll soon come to exploit, and De Niro makes sure that viewers know instantly where his true motivations lie.
Robert Downey Jr., “Oppenheimer”
Downey excels at playing smooth-talking, quick-thinking characters, and he’s in fine form in Nolan’s historical biopic. But his U.S. Atomic Energy Commission top brass Lewis Strauss is a far cry from Iron Man. Though the bureaucrat doesn’t have an ounce of Tony Stark’s charm, he has his smug confidence in spades. The contrast between Strauss’ behind-the-scenes strategizing and his public performance during Oppenheimer’s security hearings is masterful. The audience knows he’s furiously paddling below the surface, but none of it shows on the actor’s face.
Ryan Gosling, “Barbie”
Only a performer attuned to the seriousness of comedy could lend such endearing earnestness to the role of a plastic doll—especially one who falls for the false promises of the patriarchy. Though his performance begins as tongue-in-cheek, Gosling plays Ken’s inner conflict—finding his purpose beyond his role as Barbie’s would-be boyfriend—with a gravitas that only makes the character funnier and more adorable. The unrestrained melodrama he commands when he leads the old-school musical number “I’m Just Ken” is the culmination of his scene-stealing triumph, and it’s further proof of the Oscar nominee’s versatility.
Emily Blunt, “Oppenheimer”
In Christopher Nolan’s epic biopic, Blunt makes us understand exactly how taxing it would feel to be married to atomic bomb inventor J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy). As the troubled Kitty struggles with alcoholism, the SAG Award winner does an excellent job of charting her character’s decline from a glamorous romantic to an angry, scared woman who must uproot her family and move to the Manhattan Project’s Tennessee base—and later, testify on behalf of her secretive husband. Blunt makes us feel the weight of Kitty’s burdens, from Oppenheimer’s affairs to the fallout of his scientific breakthrough.
Danielle Brooks, “The Color Purple”
For those who missed Brooks’ turn as Sofia in the 2015 Broadway revival of “The Color Purple,” you’ve got another chance to catch her marvelous performance in Blitz Bazawule’s film adaptation of the musical. Spanning the first half of the 20th century, the story follows Celie (Fantasia Barrino), a Southern Black woman who’s mistreated and abused by almost every man in her life, including her husband, Mister (Colman Domingo). Brooks plays Sofia, the wife of Mister’s son, who becomes Celie’s first real source of hope and friendship. The Tony nominee effortlessly transitions between brassy and broken, enriching the ensemble with her presence. Whether she’s performing on Broadway or the big screen, Brooks’ talent is undeniable.
Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures
Penélope Cruz, “Ferrari”
Cruz is fury personified in Michael Mann’s biopic as Laura, Enzo Ferrari’s (Adam Driver) wife and business partner. When we first meet her, she’s well aware of her husband’s philandering; but thanks to her position in the auto company, she also holds power over his finances. The Oscar winner perfectly conveys Laura’s rage and heartbreak when she discovers the extent of Ferrari’s double life, even as she maintains her stoic exterior.
Jodie Foster, “NYAD”
If Annette Bening’s Diana Nyad is the strong body and stubborn mind of Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi’s groundbreaking biopic, Foster’s Bonnie Stoll is its beating heart. The two-time Oscar winner has been tragically relegated to the sidelines since the 2000s, and the proudly gay actor makes one hell of a comeback in a role that finally allows her to take on a multifaceted queer character. Stoll’s fraught but loving friendship with Nyad defies traditional ideas of what a relationship between two women can look like, and that’s largely thanks to the complex chemistry between Foster and Bening. If we were swimming 110 miles across open ocean, there’s no one we’d rather have in our corner.
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, “The Holdovers”
In Alexander Payne’s 1970-set boarding school drama, Randolph’s Mary Lamb could easily have been a treacly character; but what Randolph does is a wonder. Mary diligently performs her job as the school’s cafeteria manager even as she wrestles with personal tragedy: the death of her son in the Vietnam War. The actor lets that sorrow seep into her performance in unexpected ways, to devastating effect.
“Barbie”
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