"Into the Wild" leads SAG film nominees

20/12/2007 15:58

By Bob Tourtellotte

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Wilderness drama "Into the Wild," directed by Sean Penn and starring newcomer Emile Hirsch, topped the list of Screen Actors Guild award nominees on Thursday with four nods, including best ensemble cast.

Hirsch was nominated for best film actor playing a college graduate on a journey of self-discovery to Alaska, and veteran actors Hal Holbrook and Catherine Keener earned nods in supporting actor and actress roles, respectively.

Legal drama "Michael Clayton" pulled down three nominations to follow "Into the Wild" among the films with the most nominations. It snagged nods for best film actor for George Clooney playing a troubled attorney and his co-stars Tom Wilkinson and Tilda Swinton also earned supporting nominations.

But highly touted "Clayton" was left off the list for SAG’s top honour, best ensemble cast. Joining "Into the Wild" in that category were four other films: grim crime thriller "No Country for Old Men," western "3:10 to Yuma," musical "Hairspray" and crime drama "American Gangster."

The Screen Actors Guild Awards, which will be given out on January 27 in Los Angeles, often indicate who will be nominated for the film industry’s top honours, the Oscars, because actors make up the largest group of Academy Award voters.

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Along with Clooney and Hirsch in the film actor category were Daniel Day-Lewis in oil prospecting drama "There Will Be Blood," Ryan Gosling for comedy "Lars and the Real Girl" and Viggo Mortensen for crime thriller "Eastern Promises."

SAG film actress nominations went to Cate Blanchett for drama "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," Julie Christie in Alzheimer’s tale "Away from Her," French actress Marion Cotillard for her role as singer Edith Piaf in "La Vie En Rose," Angelina Jolie as the wife of slain journalist Daniel Pearl for "A Mighty Heart," and Ellen Page in teen pregnancy comedy, "Juno."

Unlike the Oscars, which are given out by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, SAG also hands out awards in TV categories.

The top TV award is for best cast in a drama and that grouping featured familiar names like "The Sopranos," "Boston Legal," "Grey’s Anatomy," "The Closer" and cable TV newcomer, "Mad Men."

The nominees for best ensemble cast in a TV comedy also featured a list of programs that have been nominated for past Hollywood awards, including "30 Rock," "Desperate Housewives," "Entourage," "The Office" and "Ugly Betty."

(Reporting by Bob Tourtellotte, Editing by Frances Kerry)

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