A Star Is Born leads US Screen Actors Guild nominations

Nods also go to BlacKkKlansman, Black Panther, Bohemian Rhapsody and Crazy Rich Asians

This image released by Warner Bros. shows Bradley Cooper, left, and Lady Gaga in a scene from the latest reboot of the film, "A Star is Born." Surely literal goosebumps are a good sign that you’ve just seen a pretty stunning movie moment, specifically where Lady Gaga’s Ally takes a deep breath and walks out on stage to join Bradley Cooper’s Jackson Maine and sing her song in front of thousands of people. (Neal Preston/Warner Bros. via AP)
Powered by automated translation

A Star Is Born led the pack in the movies category at the Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations, seen as a bellwether in the run-up to the Oscars.

The music romance reboot earned Bradley Cooper a nod for best actor, Lady Gaga for best actress and Sam Elliott for best supporting actor. The fourth nomination was for best cast.

Other nominations

Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman, the true story of a black police officer who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan with the help of a white partner, came in second with three nominations for best actor (John David Washington), best supporting actor (Adam Driver) and best cast.

This image released by Focus Features shows Adam Driver, left, and John David Washington in a scene from "BlacKkKlansman." The cast was nominated for a SAG Award for best ensemble. The SAG Awards will be held Jan. 27 and broadcast live by TNT and TBS. This year's show will honor Alan Alda with the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award.  (David Lee/Focus Features via AP)
Adam Driver, left, and John David Washington in a scene from BlacKkKlansman. AP

Other films nominated for best cast – the SAG's top award – are superhero movie Black PantherBohemian Rhapsody, about Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, and summer rom-com hit Crazy Rich Asians.

On the television side, Amazon's breakout comedy The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and the Netflix drama Ozark led the pack with four nominations each.

Other shows nominated include FX's Cold War spy thriller The Americans, NBC's This Is Us and The Handmaid's Tale, the runaway hit series based on the dystopian 1985 novel by Margaret Atwood.

Elisabeth Moss in The Handmaid's Tale. Courtesy Hulu
Elisabeth Moss in The Handmaid's Tale. Courtesy Hulu

Among the plethora of actors nominated are Antonio Banderas, who received an outstanding performance nod for his portrayal of Pablo Picasso in the National Geographic mini-series Genius, Patricia Arquette for Escape at Dannamora, and Anthony Hopkins for King Lear.

Surprising snubs

Some of the surprising snubs for movies include Alfonso Cuaron's Roma, seen as an Oscar frontrunner, First Man, about Neil Armstrong's moon landing, and Widows, about a group of women who try to pull off a heist after their husbands are killed in a botched robbery.

On the television side, Oscar-winner Julia Roberts came out empty-handed for her role in Amazon drama Homecoming as did Donald Glover for Atlanta.

"Look at how many great performances were ignored because their films were not popular," tweeted Sasha Stone, the founder of specialized industry website Awards Daily.

"Does it have anything whatsoever to do with the performance? NO. Does it ever? NO. Sorry but no."

Last week, Vice, a biopic about Dick Cheney starring Christian Bale as the former US vice president, earned the most Golden Globe nominations with six, including best comedy film.

The movie – which only opens in US theaters on Christmas Day – bucked some predictions, earning one more nod than A Star Is Born.

The 25th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards

This year's awards are taking place after the #MeToo movement – sparked by bombshell sexual assault claims against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein – dominated the prizegiving season last year, as Hollywood dealt with the fallout from the crisis.

Although less high-profile than the Golden Globes, the SAG awards are seen as more of an indicator of Oscars glory, since members represent a disproportionately large section of the roughly 8,000 voters for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The 25th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will take place on January 27 in Los Angeles.

______________________

Read more:

Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga on bringing 'A Star Is Born' to life 

New Golden Globes honour will be named after Carol Burnett

Ben Stiller: Netflix is succeeding where the movie industry has failed 

______________________