Actors Guild Offers Nominations

The Screen Actors Guild nominations announced last week give further indications that the Oscar race will be wide open.

In the best film actor category, nominations went to Tom Cruise (“Jerry Maguire”), Ralph Fiennes (“The English Patient”), Woody Harrelson (“The People vs. Larry Flynt”), Geoffrey Rush (“Shine”) and Billy Bob Thornton (“Sling Blade”). The only surprise among the nominees was Thornton, who was notably passed over in the recent Golden Globe Awards.

The nominees in the best film actress category were Brenda Blethyn (“Secrets & Lies”), Diane Keaton (“Marvin’s Room”), Frances McDormand (“Fargo”), Gena Rowlands (“Unhook the Stars”) and Kristin Scott Thomas (“The English Patient”).

Blethyn, McDormand and Thomas have been frequently cited as potential Oscar nominees, but the nominations for Rowlands and Keaton show the SAG committee going further afield.