“Wicked,” Universal’s Broadway musical adaptation, and FX/Hulu’s “Shogun,” a drama series set in feudal Japan, dominated the 2025 Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations, collecting five nods apiece to lead the film and TV races. The announcement comes three days after the Golden Globes and on the day Oscar nomination voting opens, and it delivered its share of jaw-dropping surprises and well-deserved recognition for some of the awards season’s top contenders.
“Wicked” soared to historic heights, tying for the most nominations in SAG history with five mentions. This achievement places the Jon M. Chu-directed adaptation of the Broadway sensation in an elite company alongside previous five-time nominees like “Shakespeare in Love” (1998), “Chicago” (2002), “Doubt” (2008), “The Banshees of Inisherin” (2022), and “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (2022). Of those, “Shakespeare,” “Chicago,” and “Everything Everywhere” went on to win the SAG Award for best cast ensemble before clinching the Academy Award for best picture. “Wicked” hopes to follow suit. In addition to cast ensemble, the musical racked up nods best actress for Cynthia Erivo, supporting actress for Ariana Grande, and a surprise supporting actor mention for Jonathan Bailey. It was also nominated for its stunts.
James Mangold’s Bob Dylan biopic, “A Complete Unknown” was close behind “Wicked” with four nominations. The film also landed nods for cast ensemble, as well as for Timothée Chalamet’s lead performance as the singer and songwriter and the supporting work of Edward Norton and Monica Barbaro. The nomination is Barbaro’s first major recognition of the season.
Popular on Variety
Joining “Wicked” and “A Complete Unknown” in the coveted best ensemble category, are Sean Baker’s “Anora,” Edward Berger’s “Conclave,” and Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Pérez.” Historically, a nom in this category has been an essential marker for best picture winners. Since SAG introduced the category in 1995, only four films (“Braveheart” in 1995, “The Shape of Water” in 2017, “Green Book” in 2018, and “Nomadland” in 2020) have won best picture at the Oscars without earning a SAG ensemble nomination. That’s a bad sign for Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist,” which scored a best drama prize at last weekend’s Golden Globes only to be overlooked for best ensemble.
The supporting actress category was the morning’s most dramatic battlefield, with a mix of expected names and shocking omissions. Joining Grande and Monica are SAG and Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis (“The Last Showgirl”), Danielle Deadwyler (“The Piano Lesson”), and Zoë Saldaña (“Emilia Pérez”), who is riding high after her Golden Globe win on Sunday.
While Saldaña’s nomination further cements her momentum, the omission of her co-star Selena Gomez was a surprise. Gomez, who had been considered a potential double nominee for her roles in “Emilia Pérez” and “Only Murders in the Building,” now faces an uphill climb, with her BAFTA nomination prospects becoming critical for her Oscar campaign.
Equally surprising was Margaret Qualley’s snub for “The Substance.” The actress has been leading the critics’ awards tally alongside Saldaña, but her absence here raises questions about the film’s overall strength in the race. Isabella Rossellini’s brief but memorable turn as a feisty nun in “Conclave” also failed to land a spot, despite strong buzz.
One notable comeback story is Deadwyler, who had been slipping in the awards conversation after being snubbed by the Golden Globes and missing the BAFTA longlist. Her nomination for the August Wilson adaptation “The Piano Lesson,” directed by debut filmmaker Malcolm Washington, reignites her Oscar hopes. This marks a potential redemption arc following her widely criticized Oscar snub for “Till” in 2022.
Curtis, meanwhile, continues to ride a wave of goodwill for her performance as an aging Las Vegas showgirl in “The Last Showgirl.” While some pundits initially dismissed her chances — citing her recent Oscar win for “Everything Everywhere All at Once” — her SAG nod confirms the strength of her follow-up performance. As history shows, “afterglow” nominations are not uncommon for recent winners, especially when the subsequent role exceeds expectations, as Curtis’ has — see Sandra Bullock (“Gravity”), Gary Oldman (“Mank”) or Eddie Redmayne (“The Danish Girl”).
The supporting actor race largely followed expectations, with frontrunner Kieran Culkin (“A Real Pain”), securing a spot alongside Edward Norton (“A Complete Unknown”) and Yura Borisov (“Anora”). However, Bailey’s inclusion for “Wicked” turned heads and speaks to the film’s overall strength in the race. Jeremy Strong also made waves with his first film nomination for playing Donald Trump’s mentor, Roy Cohn, in Ali Abbasi’s “The Apprentice.” Strong’s nod pushed out heavyweight contenders like Denzel Washington, who delivered a villainous performance in “Gladiator II” (which only landed a stunt nomination), and Guy Pearce (“The Brutalist”), who had been widely expected to join his co-star Adrien Brody in the race.
The actress field was led by performances in musicals and comedies, with Cynthia Erivo (“Wicked”), Demi Moore (“The Substance”), Mikey Madison (“Anora”) and Karla Sofía Gascón (“Emilia Pérez”) earning nods. Gascón’s nomination is historic, making her the first openly transgender actor nominated in the SAG film categories.
Surprisingly, only one drama actress from the Golden Globes crossed over to SAG’s list. It wasn’t Oscar winners Angelina Jolie (“Maria”), Nicole Kidman (“Babygirl”), Tilda Swinton (“The Room Next Door”), Kate Winslet (“Lee”), or even the Globes’ winner Fernanda Torres (“I’m Still Here”). Instead, Pamela Anderson’s performance in “The Last Showgirl” earned her a SAG nomination, marking a significant boost for her campaign as Oscar voting opens.
In contrast to the shakeups in other categories, best actor delivered a roster that was largely in line with expectations. Adrien Brody (“The Brutalist”), Chalamet (“A Complete Unknown”), Daniel Craig (“Queer”), Colman Domingo (“Sing Sing”), and Ralph Fiennes (“Conclave”) all secured nominations. Notably absent, however, was Golden Globe winner Sebastian Stan, who had been in contention for both “A Different Man” and “The Apprentice.” His double snub, pointing to a potential vote-splitting issue, could hurt his momentum as the race moves forward.
“Shogun” received nominations for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series, plus nods for Hiroyuki Sanada, Tadanobu Asano, Anna Sawai and the stunt group. It faces off against “The Day of the Jackal,” “Bridgerton,” “The Diplomat” and “Slow Horses” in the drama series race. The comedy category includes “Abbott Elementary,” “The Bear,” “Hacks,” “Only Murders in the Building” and “Shrinking.”
Due to the Los Angeles wildfires, the in-person nominations announcement was canceled, and the nominees were unveiled on the SAG Awards website. Joey King and Cooper Koch were originally tapped to reveal the nominees.
The SAG Awards will stream live on Netflix on Sunday, Feb. 23, at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT from the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall with host Kristen Bell.
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
ADRIEN BRODY – “THE BRUTALIST”
TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET – “A COMPLETE UNKNOWN”
DANIEL CRAIG – “QUEER”
COLMAN DOMINGO – “SING SING”
RALPH FIENNES – “CONCLAVE”
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
PAMELA ANDERSON – “THE LAST SHOWGIRL”
CYNTHIA ERIVO – “WICKED”
KARLA SOFÍA GASCÓN – “EMILIA PÉREZ”
MIKEY MADISON – “ANORA”
DEMI MOORE – “THE SUBSTANCE”
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
JONATHAN BAILEY – “WICKED”
YURA BORISOV – “ANORA”
KIERAN CULKIN – “A REAL PAIN”
EDWARD NORTON – “A COMPLETE UNKNOWN”
JEREMY STRONG – “THE APPRENTICE”
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
MONICA BARBARO – “A COMPLETE UNKNOWN”
JAMIE LEE CURTIS – “THE LAST SHOWGIRL”
DANIELLE DEADWYLER – “THE PIANO LESSON”
ARIANA GRANDE – “WICKED”
ZOE SALDAÑA – “EMILIA PÉREZ”
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
A COMPLETE UNKNOWN
ANORA
CONCLAVE
EMILIA PÉREZ
WICKED
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
DUNE: PART TWO
THE FALL GUY
GLADIATOR II
WICKED
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
JAVIER BARDEM – “MONSTERS: THE LYLE AND ERIK MENENDEZ STORY”
COLIN FARRELL – “THE PENGUIN”
RICHARD GADD – “BABY REINDEER”
KEVIN KLINE – “DISCLAIMER”
ANDREW SCOTT – “RIPLEY”
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
KATHY BATES – “THE GREAT LILLIAN HALL”
CATE BLANCHETT – “DISCLAIMER”
JODIE FOSTER – “TRUE DETECTIVE: NIGHT COUNTRY”
LILY GLADSTONE – “UNDER THE BRIDGE”
JESSICA GUNNING – “BABY REINDEER”
CRISTIN MILIOTI – “THE PENGUIN”
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
TADANOBU ASANO – “SHŌGUN”
JEFF BRIDGES – “THE OLD MAN”
GARY OLDMAN – “SLOW HORSES”
EDDIE REDMAYNE – “THE DAY OF THE JACKAL”
HIROYUKI SANADA – “SHŌGUN”
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
KATHY BATES – “MATLOCK”
NICOLA COUGHLAN – “BRIDGERTON”
ALLISON JANNEY – “THE DIPLOMAT”
KERI RUSSELL – “THE DIPLOMAT”
ANNA SAWAI – “SHŌGUN”
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
ADAM BRODY – “NOBODY WANTS THIS”
TED DANSON – “A MAN ON THE INSIDE”
HARRISON FORD – “SHRINKING”
MARTIN SHORT – “ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING”
JEREMY ALLEN WHITE – “THE BEAR”
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
KRISTEN BELL – “NOBODY WANTS THIS”
QUINTA BRUNSON – “ABBOTT ELEMENTARY”
LIZA COLÓN-ZAYAS – “THE BEAR”
AYO EDEBIRI – “THE BEAR”
JEAN SMART – “HACKS”
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
BRIDGERTON
THE DAY OF THE JACKAL
THE DIPLOMAT
SHŌGUN
SLOW HORSES
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
ABBOTT ELEMENTARY
THE BEAR
HACKS
ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING
SHRINKING
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series
THE BOYS
FALLOUT
HOUSE OF THE DRAGON
THE PENGUIN
SHŌGUN