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Some surprises marked the nominations for the second annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, which were announced Thursday at SAG's Los Angeles headquarters by Oscar-winning actor Jack Lemon and Lea Thompson, star of the hit NBC series "Caroline in the City."
Among the unexpected entries were Massimo Troisi, the late Italian comedian who died the day after he completed filming "The Postman," in the leading male actor competition, and Joan Allen, who played the president's wife, Pat, in "Nixon," in the leading female actor race. Allen has been considered a supporting actress candidate by most other awards groups; on Wednesday, she accepted the best supporting actress award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.
James Earl Jones may be considered another surprise leading male actor nominee for his role in the little-seen, sparsely acclaimed "Cry, the Beloved Country." Meanwhile, the absence of "Apollo 13" star and back-to-back Oscar winner (and last year's SAG winner) Tom Hanks' name indicates a possible "enough is enough" sentiment among the actors.
The SAG awards, which are determined by more than 84,000 eligible members of the Screen Actors Guild, also include a nontraditional category for entire casts of theatrical motion pictures and a wide range of television awards. Because of the timing of the SAG awards and the fact that their voters also make up the majority of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' actors branch, the SAG nominations are considered a major indicator of Oscar preferences.
Last year, Tom Hanks ("Forrest Gump") and Jodie Foster ("Nell") were honored as best film actor and actress of 1994....