Paul Thomas Anderson’s politically charged One Battle After Another on Wednesday set a record for nominations for the Screen Actors Guild’s influential Actor Awards with seven, staking its claim to Oscars frontrunner status.
Ryan Coogler’s runaway hit period horror film Sinners came in second with five nominations, setting the stage for a two-horse race to the Academy Awards in March.
One Battle After Another, which centers on an aging revolutionary (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his teenage daughter (Chase Infiniti), is a rollicking ride featuring violent leftist radicals, immigration raids, and white supremacists.
The film received a nomination for best ensemble, SAG’s equivalent of best picture, competing against Sinners, Frankenstein, Hamnet, and Marty Supreme.
One Battle also earned nods for best male actor (DiCaprio), best female actor (Infiniti), best supporting actors (Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro), best supporting actress (Teyana Taylor), and best stunt ensemble.
Sinners stars Michael B. Jordan in dual roles as twins in 1930s segregated Mississippi, facing a sinister force. It also earned nominations for best actor (Jordan), best supporting actor (Miles Caton), best supporting actress (Wunmi Mosaku), and best stunt ensemble.
One Battle recently bested Sinners at the Critics Choice Awards, winning best picture and director, while the two split best screenplay honors.
“One Battle After Another is the Oscars frontrunner, setting an all-time nomination record, but Sinners is tied for second-most noms,” Variety’s Clayton Davis told AFP, comparing the race to 2017’s La La Land vs. Moonlight.
The SAG Awards, voted on by actors, are seen as key Oscar indicators. They were rebranded as the Actor Awards in November.
Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme) and Jessie Buckley (Hamnet) also solidified their Oscar campaigns with best actor and actress nominations. Davis called the best actor race “tight” among Chalamet, DiCaprio, and Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon), while best actress honors are “firmly Jessie Buckley’s to lose.” Non-English films like Norway’s Sentimental Value and Brazil’s The Secret Agent were notably absent.
On TV, The Studio leads with five nominations. The SAG Awards will take place March 1 in Los Angeles and stream live on Netflix.
