SAG Award Nominations 2023: The Biggest Snubs and Surprises

The nominations for the 2023 SAG Awards, the awards that often line up the closest with the eventual Oscar nominees, may offer our best glimpse yet of which performances have truly caught Hollywood’s attention this year. And while plenty of conventional wisdom turned out to be correct—everyone really is wild about Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Banshees of Inisherin, and Cate Blanchett—there were some curveballs in the mix too. Below, the Awards Insider team breaks down the biggest snubs and surprises. 

Surprise: Awards Darling Adam Sandler

Adam Sandler has been everywhere in the awards push for his Netflix basketball dramedy, Hustle, from accepting an honorary award at the Gotham Awards to a handful of actor roundtables to Vanity Fair’s very own Little Gold Men podcast. Seemingly sensing an opportunity after his near miss with an Oscar nomination for Uncut Gems in 2020, Sandler has shown, well, hustle. And today it paid off, earning Sandler a spot in the best-actor category alongside hefty competition like Austin Butler and Colin Farrell—and deserving too, for a role that captures both the best of his comedic appeal and some genuine dramatic chops too. Even if he winds up left out of the Oscar lineup once again, this is a victory worth celebrating. —Katey Rich

Surprise: Babylon Lands an Ensemble Nod

Damien Chazelle’s wild, three-hour romp through 1920s and 1930s Hollywood has been met with a very mixed reception, putting its awards chances in peril. So, it’s a bit of a surprise to see it land in the SAG Awards’ top category, along with such obvious front-runners (The Banshees of Inisherin, Everything Everywhere All at Once, and The Fabelmans, plus Women Talking). But SAG voters couldn’t deny the film’s knockout ensemble, a mix of well-liked industry veterans (Brad Pitt and Jean Smart), newer stars (Margot Robbie), and exciting fresh breakouts (Li Jun Li, Jovan Adepo, and Diego Calva). Will this ensemble boost help its Oscar chances for best picture? That remains to be seen, but at least it keeps it in the conversation. —Rebecca Ford

Surprise: Hong Chau for The Whale

Almost all of the buzz around The Whale has been for its lead, Brendan Fraser, who easily landed a lead-actor nom. But what a pleasant surprise to see Hong Chau land a supporting-actress nomination for her work as the main character’s caregiver. Chau, who also gave a scene-stealing performance in The Menu this year, will be up against two Everything Everywhere All at Once stars (Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu), newly minted Globe winner Angela Bassett, and The Banshees of Inisherin’s Kerry Condon, so this is one of those situations where the nomination itself is the win, but we’re hopeful it means more people will take note of Chau’s beautifully calibrated performance and limitless range. —R.F.

Surprise: Ana de Armas for Blonde

Blonde was not exactly a hit with audiences or critics, but de Ana de Armas’s tour de force performance as Marilyn Monroe has been undeniable from the moment the NC-17 biopic launched at the Venice Film Festival. And pretty consistently, awards voters have tended to agree, with de Armas previously ranking among the Golden Globe nominees and on the BAFTA long lists. Now that SAG has named the star among the best-actress five—over The Fabelmans’ Michelle Williams, no less, surely the biggest snub of the day—it’s safe to say she’s in serious consideration for her first Oscar nod. She may have gone through it, but if anyone’s going to appreciate such an experience, it’s fellow actors. —David Canfield 

Snub: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

The hope for Netflix’s mystery-comedy sequel was that, awards-wise, it could outdo its predecessor, which received an Oscar nod only for Rian Johnson’s original screenplay. But if there was any place this crowd-pleasing smash was going to hit with a group of voters in a sign of big things to come, it was probably the audience-friendly, ensemble-favoring SAG. Instead, coming off of its underperformance on the BAFTA long lists, industry peers dealt another blow to this campaign by snubbing it altogether: both its supporting-actress hopeful Janelle Monáe, and the starry cast itself, which seems built for a prize like this one. The film has got a lot of ground to make up at this point to rank in the Academy’s final top 10. —D.C.

Surprise: Stephanie Hsu in Everything Everywhere All at Once 

The chameleonic Stephanie Hsu, who displayed impressive range as angsty teen Joy and the all-powerful Jobu in Everything Everywhere All at Once, scored a much-deserved SAG nomination alongside her costar Jamie Lee Curtis, who has shown up far more frequently in supporting-actor lineups. Can Hsu and Curtis pull off the increasingly popular “two-nominees, one film” Oscar trend, much like their counterparts on the supporting-actor side, The Banshees of Inisherin’s Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan? With this SAG nomination, it’s looking more likely than ever. —Chris Murphy

Snub: Is The Crown Fading as an Awards Juggernaut?

Yes, the lavish Netflix series was nominated for best ensemble in a drama series as well as for Elizabeth Debicki’s performance as Princess Diana. But compare that to the show’s last go-round in 2021, when three of the lead actresses were nominated, alongside Josh O’Connor as Prince Charles; Gillian Anderson won in addition to the show’s best-ensemble prize. No show can be an unchallenged awards juggernaut forever, and SAG tastes in TV tend to shift over time, moving from Mad Men to Boardwalk Empire, Downton Abbey to Stranger Things, etc. With the sixth and final season of The Crown approaching, we may be witnessing its awards swan song—or maybe a mere dip before a grand finale. —K.R.

Snub: Where Are All The Fabelmans Individual Noms? 

Wait, wait, wait, run back the film—you’re really telling me that Paul Dano is the only individual acting nomination for The Fabelmans? He was great as the Fabelman family patriarch, and the cast was rightfully given a nod in the ensemble category, but Judd Hirsch is wondering why he even bothered ripping that shirt. It’s hard to even mention Michelle Williams not being recognized for her layered performance as Mitzi Fabelman, because wow, that’s bananas, seeing as many predictions lists had her as a shoo-in for a nomination, not to mention a strong contender for the best-actress win. This cast is packed to the gills with memorable, masterclass-level performances in an emotional story about art, family, and memory, so forgive me for scratching my head at the omissions. Michelle Williams did not clip those nails to be treated like this! —Kase Wickman