'Straight Outta Compton,' 'The Big Short,' 'Spotlight' among film cast SAG nominees

‘Straight Outta Compton,’ ‘The Big Short,’ ‘Spotlight’ among film cast SAG nominees

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Gabrielle Carteris, SAG-AFTRA Executive Vice President, introduces the presenters for the 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations from the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Presenters Anna Faris (“Mom,” the “Scary Movie” franchise), alongside Anthony Mackie (“The Night Before,” “Shelter,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” and “The Hurt Locker”), lets out a gasp as they finish announcing the 22nd Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Presenters Anna Faris and Anthony Mackie announce Leonardo DiCaprio as one of five nominees for outstanding performance by a male actor in a leading role at the 22nd Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Gabrielle Carteris (SAG-AFTRA executive vice president), from left, Jason George (SAG Awards committee), presenters Anna Faris with Anthony Mackie and JoBeth Williams (Chair, SAG Awards Committee/SAG-AFTRA Foundation Board) celebrate the SAG Awards nominations from the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

By Susan Kingwriter

Dec. 9, 2015 7:33 AM PT

The casts of “Beasts of No Nation,” “The Big Short,” “Spotlight,” “Straight Outta Compton” and “Trumbo” earned nominations Wednesday for outstanding ensemble in a motion picture for the 22nd Screen Actors Guild Awards.

The cast award is the SAG Awards equivalent of the top picture of the year. Though several critics groups, including the Los Angeles Film Critics Assn. and the New York Film Critics Circle have already announced their honors, these are the first high-profile nominations in this awards season -- to be followed by the Golden Globe nominations on Thursday.

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Nominated for male actor in a leading role are Bryan Cranston for “Trumbo”; Johnny Depp for “Black Mass”; Michael Fassbender for “Steve Jobs”; Leonardo DiCaprio for “The Revenant”; and Eddie Redmayne for “The Danish Girl.”

Vying for female actor in leading role are Cate Blanchett for “Carol”; Brie Larson for “Room”; Helen Mirren for “Woman in Gold”; Saoirse Ronan for “Brooklyn”; and Sarah Silverman for “I Smile Back.”

Supporting male actor nominees are Christian Bale for “The Big Short”; Idris Elba for “Beasts of No Nation”; Mark Rylance for “Bridge of Spies”; Michael Shannon for “99 Homes”; and Jacob Tremblay for “Room.”

Contending for supporting female actor are Rooney Mara for “Carol”; Rachel McAdams for “Spotlight”; Helen Mirren for “Trumbo”; Alicia Vikander for “The Danish Girl”; and Kate Winslet for “Steve Jobs.”

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On the TV series side, “Downton Abbey,” “Game of Thrones,” “Homeland,” “House of Cards” and “Mad Men” received drama ensemble nominations. Vying for comedy ensemble are “The Big Bang Theory,” “Key and Peele,” “Modern Family,” “Orange Is the New Black,” “Transparent” and “Veep.”

Carol Burnett was previously announced as the recipient of the Life Achievement Award.

The SAG awards are one of the leading bellwethers for the Academy Awards. Earlier this year, SAG Award winners “Birdman,” Eddie Redmayne (“The Theory of Everything”), Julianne Moore (“Still Alice”); Patricia Arquette (“Boyhood”) and J.K. Simmons (“Whiplash”) all went on to win Oscars.

The SAG Awards will air live Jan. 30 at 5 p.m. on TBS and TNT from the Shrine Exposition Hall in Los Angeles.