The 7 biggest snubs of the 2022 SAG Awards nominations
- Nominations for the 2022 SAG Awards were announced on Wednesday.
- “Spencer,” “What We Do in the Shadows,” and “Dune” were all snubbed in major categories.
- And performances by Kristen Stewart, Selena Gomez, and Beanie Feldstein were completely ignored.
Selena Gomez held her own opposite comedy legends Steve Martin and Martin Short in Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building.”
“Only Murders” marked Gomez’s return to television — she’d previously starred on Disney’s “Wizards of Waverly Place” — but the young actress didn’t let her costars Short and Martin steal the show. Rather, Gomez’s Mabel was the grounding force the show needed, with her played-straight character anchoring the antics of Short and Martin into the overall narrative.
It couldn’t have been easy acting opposite two comedy legends, but Gomez made it look like a breeze. Yes, Gomez was included in the series’ best ensemble in a comedy series nomination, but she deserved an individual nod of her own. Her performance gave the show some much-needed balance. — Libby Torres
The star-studded cast of “Dune” should have been nominated for their stellar work on the film.
Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” was undoubtedly one of the best films of this year, but it wouldn’t have been anything without the talents of its cast. Timothée Chalamet was the perfect choice to play the young, conflicted nobleman Paul Atreides, but other standouts in the film include Jason Momoa as the fearless Duncan Idaho and Sharon Duncan-Brewster as the mysterious Dr. Liet-Kynes.
With Javier Bardem and Zendaya taking on the roles of Stilgar and Chani, respectively, the new “Dune” was everything a Frank Herbert fan could have hoped for and more. For some reason, however, the SAG Awards didn’t feel it was worth a nomination, despite the monumental effort involved in bringing the story to life. — Libby Torres
“What We Do in the Shadows” was totally ignored, despite being one of the best comedies this year.
Based on the 2014 film by Taika Waititi, FX’s vampire comedy has consistently been one of the funniest (and most criminally underrated shows) on television since its premiere in 2019. The new season takes the absurdity to a whole new level, and features storylines revolving around (among other plot points): Nandor’s (Kayvan Novak) quest to woo a gym employee who’s actually a lesbian, a rival group of baseball-playing werewolves, and an ill-fated trip to an Atlantic City casino with the vampires’ human neighbors.
“What We Do in the Shadows” is perfectly ridiculous in the best way possible, and deserved at least one nomination for a SAG Award this year — preferably for the amazing ensemble cast, which includes Novak, Harvey Guillén, Matt Berry, and Mark Proksch. — Libby Torres
Beanie Feldstein gave an incredible performance as Monica Lewinsky on “Impeachment: American Crime Story.”
We’ve long been aware of Feldstein’s formidable acting talents (who could forget her hilarious turn as Saoirse Ronan’s best friend in “Ladybird,” or her surprisingly poignant portrayal of a recent high school grad in “Booksmart”?). But her role as Lewinsky in “Impeachment,” the third iteration of Ryan Murphy’s “American Crime Story” anthology, is one for the books. Feldstein effortlessly captures Lewinsky’s youthful vulnerability as well as her burgeoning strength, and proves once again that she’s an actress worthy of all the awards. — Libby Torres
Matthew Macfadyen gave a much-lauded performance as an on-the-brink Tom Wambsgans in “Succession.”
Macfadyen’s Tom Wambsgans finally hit his big moment in the season 3 finale of HBO’s “Succession,” and it was made all the sweeter and more sinister by Macfadyen’s frantic, nuanced performance. Tom’s anxiety over the course of the season — over going to jail, trying to have a baby before he goes to jail, and his wife telling him she doesn’t love him — is palpable, coiling tighter and tighter until he finally makes his move.
Macfadyen’s performance, particularly opposite Nicholas Braun’s Greg and Sarah Snook’s Shiv, is stellar, and one of the best in the show’s most recent season. Even amid a stacked “Succession” nomination slate (Snook, as well as Brian Cox, Kieran Culkin, and Jeremy Strong all earned individual nominations), it wouldn’t have been too much for Macfadyen to get a nod as well. At least he’s included in the series’ nomination in the best ensemble category. — Palmer Haasch
Kristen Stewart’s performance as Princess Diana in “Spencer” was riveting.
Kristen Stewart’s performance as Princess Diana in Pablo Larraín’s drama seemed perfectly poised to catapult her into awards season, despite the actor’s comments that she doesn’t “give a shit” about an Oscar nomination.
Still, her snub in the female actor in a leading role category is surprising, given how singular and haunting her performance was in “Spencer,” which was also one of the most talked-about movies of the year. A narrowly focused film that takes place over the course of three days during Christmas with the royal family, “Spencer” shows Stewart’s Diana unraveling, grasping onto a suffocating reality, and stitching herself back together again. She deserved a nod for completely disappearing into the role. — Palmer Haasch
“Insecure” was completely shut out of the SAG Awards during its entire five-season run.
“Insecure,” Issa Rae’s acclaimed HBO comedy series, hasn’t historically received love from the SAG Awards. But walking away from the series’ final season with no SAG Awards nominations over its five-season run really smarts.
Rae should have received a nomination for her performance as Issa Dee, with castmates like Yvonne Orji (Molly) getting snubbed as well. Not only was “Insecure” a fan-favorite series that’s captivated social media audiences since its 2016 premiere, it was also groundbreaking: As Orji told Insider’s Zac Ntim ahead of the series finale, the show proved that it’s possible to “tell a truthful, undiluted story about the Black experience in a way that has no trauma associated with it.”
After a history of being overlooked during awards seasons past, the show picked up eight Emmy Award nominations in 2020 after the show’s fourth season, including nods for both Rae and Orji. It’s a shame that the momentum didn’t carry on to the SAG Awards after the show’s conclusion. — Palmer Haasch