‘La La Land’ hits a wrong note in Screen Actors Guild noms
FILE – This image released by Roadside Attractions and Amazon Studios shows Lucas Hedges, right, and Casey Affleck in a scene from “Manchester By The Sea.” La La Land” may have hit all the right notes for the Golden Globes, but the Screen Actors Guild sung a different tune Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016, when Kenneth Lonergan’s New England-set family drama “Manchester by the Sea” picked up the most nominations. It’s leading four nominations included best ensemble cast, best actor for Casey Affleck and best supporting performances for Michelle Williams and Lucas Hedges. (Claire Folger/Roadside Attractions and Amazon Studios via AP) (Associated Press)
The rising chorus for “La La Land” is suddenly missing a very conspicuous note.
The 23rd annual Screen Actors Guild nominations, announced Wednesday in West Hollywood, California, included nominations for the leads of Damien Chazelle’s acclaimed musical, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. But the perceived Oscar front-runner was notably absent in the SAGs’ top category, best ensemble.
“La La Land,” which landed a leading seven Golden Globe nominations on Monday, had seemingly been marching toward best-picture winner. Granted, “La La Land,” largely focused on its leads, doesn’t scream ensemble.
But if it goes on to win best picture, it will be the only the second to do so without a SAG ensemble nod in the category’s history. Only Mel Gibson’s “Braveheart” managed it 20 years ago. Actors, the largest group in the Academy of Motion Pictures, hold considerable sway. (SAG, though, is much larger, with about 160,000 members, compared to about 1,200 actors in the academy.)
“Being able to make an old-fashioned Hollywood musical in 2016 really is reward enough; but to be acknowledged by other actors and our guild SAG-AFTRA is very meaningful,” said Gosling in a statement. “Thank you to Damien Chazelle for creating…