Fury as prestigious SAG Awards overlook queer talent for straight actors in LGBT+ roles
Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana in Spencer. (Twitter/ Netflix)
The 2022 Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards nominations are making waves for all the wrong reasons after multiple queer stars were snubbed in big categories.
In fact, more straight actors landed nominations for their portrayals of queer characters than the collective number of LGBT+ actors who bagged a nod this year.
Nominations for queer talent include Lady Gaga’s Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role nod for her part as Patrizia Regianni in House of Gucci and Ariana DeBose’s Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role nod for her part as Anita in West Side Story.
Meanwhile, Murray Bartlett bagged an Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series category for his part as Armond in The White Lotus.
However, far more straight actors were nominated for their performances as queer characters, including Reese Witherspoon being nominated for playing a bisexual journalist in The Morning Show.
Elsewhere, The Power of the Dog stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Kodi Smit-McPhee have been nominated for playing gay characters in the Netflix western.
Ewan McGregor is also nominated for his portrayal of gay fashion designer Halston in the Netflix series of the same name.
The SAG nominations announcement on 12 January caused many to take to social media as they vented their frustrations over what they believed to be glaring snubs of queer talent.
Perhaps the most egregious oversight was that of Kristen Stewart, who surprisingly failed to be nominated for her haunting portrayal of Princess Diana in Spencer.
Kristen Stewart looking for her name among the list of this year's SAG Awards nominees: pic.twitter.com/QQj5JdXVlG— Dashiell M. Silva (@dashiellsilva) January 13, 2022
Seeing Kristen Stewart be repeatedly snubbed by the Globes and now SAG is so insidious to me. It says that the film industry will accept queer excellence in a supporting capacity — say, the amazing Ariana DeBose, who deserves everything — but #1 on the call sheet? Tsk-tsk— Queer News Daily on Insta (@Nico_Lang) January 12, 2022
SAG-AFTRA snubbing Kristen Stewart is not only the biggest Best Actress snub in the whole SAG history, it's also the most baffling and upsetting one, seriously. These nominations couldn't be more basic.#SAGAwards
— Cédric Succivalli (@OnTheLido) January 12, 2022
Honestly, I think the omission of Kristen Stewart has to be the biggest shocker *ever* at SAG Award noms.— Jenelle Riley (@jenelleriley) January 12, 2022
no Kristen Stewart or Aunjanue Ellis??? the SAG Awards are very homophobic this year! https://t.co/0tpbWDcFQC— Louis Staples (@LouisStaples) January 13, 2022
Fans also felt Tessa Thompson should have been nominated for Passing, and that Samira Wiley deserved a nod for her work in The Handmaid’s Tale.
Robin DeJesus wasn’t nominated for Tick, Tick… Boom!, while Hannah Einbinder and Carl Clemens-Hopkins also failed to land individual nominations for their work in Hacks.
And while Pose star Michaela Jaé Rodriguez just became the first trans actress to win a Golden Globe, she missed out on a SAG nomination.
As for the queer stars who actually received a nomination – we’ll see who wins big when the Screen Actors Guild Awards take place on Sunday, 27 February.
SAG Awards nominees
Gay actor Murray Bartlett stars in season one of The White Lotus as the hotel manager. (YouTube)
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
Murray Bartlett, The White Lotus
Oscar Isaac, Scenes From a Marriage
Michael Keaton, Dopesick
Ewan McGregor, Halston
Evan Peters, Mare of Easttown
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
Jennifer Coolidge, The White Lotus
Cynthia Erivo, Genius: Aretha
Margaret Qualley, Maid
Jean Smart, Mare of Easttown
Kate Winslet, Mare of Easttown
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
Squid Game
Succession
The Handmaid’s Tale
The Morning Show
Yellowstone
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show
Reese Witherspoon, The Morning Show
Jung Ho-yeon, Squid Game
Elizabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale
Sarah Snook, Succession
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
Brian Cox, Succession
Billy Crudup, The Morning Show
Lee Jung-Jae, Squid Game
Kieran Culkin, Succession
Jeremy Strong, Succession
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
The Great
Hacks
The Kominsky Method
Only Murders in the Building
Ted Lasso
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Elle Fanning, The Great
Sandra Oh, The Chair
Jean Smart, Hacks
Juno Temple, Ted Lasso
Hannah Waddingham, Ted Lasso
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method
Brett Goldstein, Ted Lasso
Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso
Steve Martin, Only Murders in the Building
Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Belfast
CODA
Don’t Look Up
House of Gucci
King Richard
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Olivia Colman, The Lost Daughter
Lady Gaga, House of Gucci
Jennifer Hudson, Respect
Nicole Kidman, Being the Ricardos
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Javier Bardem, Being the Ricardos
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog
Andrew Garfield, Tick, Tick … Boom!
Will Smith, King Richard
Denzel Washington, The Tragedy of Macbeth
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Caitríona Balfe, Belfast
Cate Blanchett, Nightmare Alley
Ariana DeBose, West Side Story
Kirsten Dunst, The Power of the Dog
Ruth Negga, Passing
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Ben Affleck, The Tender Bar
Bradley Cooper, Licorice Pizza
Troy Kotsur, CODA
Jared Leto, House of Gucci
Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog
