Fresh from its wins at the Golden Globes, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer on Wednesday topped the nominations for the influential Screen Actors Guild Awards, which are key to Oscars success.
The SAG Awards, voted on by Hollywood actors, are likely to enjoy a profile boost of their own this year as they are broadcast globally on Netflix – an awards show first for the world’s biggest streamer.
Oppenheimer, which tells the story of the inventor of the atomic bomb, earned nods for Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., and Emily Blunt, as well as “outstanding performance by a cast” – the SAG Awards’ top prize.
Nolan’s three-hour epic, which earned nearly $1 billion and received rave reviews from critics, is rapidly becoming the clear favorite for the Academy Awards in March.
Barbie – the other half of last summer’s “Barbenheimer” box office phenomenon, and the year’s highest-grossing film – picked up nominations for Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, and overall cast.
The other films with three acting nominations were Martin Scorsese’s epic Killers of the Flower Moon – despite Leonardo DiCaprio missing out – and scathing satire American Fiction, starring Jeffrey Wright.
Both movies are nominated for best cast, with musical remake The Color Purple rounding out that category.
This year’s SAG Awards gala, held on Feb. 24, will be streamed on Netflix, as the platform slowly moves into hosting live events.
The Screen Actors Guild will bestow a lifetime achievement award on Barbra Streisand.
In a statement, SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher praised the EGOT – Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony – winner as “a colossal icon with a relentless work ethic, evolving with each stage of her remarkable journey.”
While Netflix will host the gala, none of its films were nominated for the night’s biggest prize.