Close nominated for Dublin film

Director Rodrigo Garcia, actress Glenn Close, writer John Banville and actor Aaron Johnson during a press conference in Dublin for the film 'Albert Nobbs.' Photo: Julien Behal/PA Wire

CHARLIE TAYLOR

Hollywood star Glenn Close has been nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress for her latest movie Albert Nobbs , which was filmed in Dublin.

Co-star Janet McTeer has also been nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film.

The film has an ensemble cast that includes Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Brendan Gleeson, Pauline Collins, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Aaron Johnson and Mia Wasikowska who was Alice in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland .

It was directed by Rodrigo Garcia, the son of the novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and co-written by Man Booker Prize winner and former Irish Times  literary editor John Banville. The screenplay is based on a short story by Irish novelist George Moore.

In the film, Glenn Close plays a woman passing herself off as a man in order to work and survive in 19th century Ireland.

She faces tough competition in the Best Actress category with Meryl Streep, Tilda Swinton, Michelle William and Viola Davis also nominated.

The Screen Actors Guild, or SAG, awards are among the most-watched honours during Hollywood's film awards season, leading up to the Oscars in February, because actors make up one of the largest voting groups for Academy Awards.

As a result, their nominees are expected to earn many votes from members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which gives out the Oscars.

The actors of civil rights drama The Help  lead the list of nominees for the awards with four nominations including for best ensemble cast in a movie.

The movie was closely followed by silent-era drama The Artist  with three nominations for its actors, including best cast in a film. Joining them in that key category were the performers in comedy Bridesmaids, drama The Descendants  and director Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris .

For best actor in a movie, voters nominated Brad Pitt in Moneyball , George Clooney with The Descendants, Leonardo DiCaprio for J Edgar Hoover , Jean Dujardin in The Artist  and Demain Bichir for A Better Life .

While movie honours take top billing at the SAG Awards, the group that represents actors in the film and television industries also votes on performances for TV shows.

In the TV arena, many of the nominees include favorites from past seasons. The best ensemble cast in a drama nominees were the performers in Boardwalk Empire, Breaking Bad, Dexter, The Good Wife  and newcomer, Game of Thrones .

Nominees for best performance in a TV comedy were 30 Rock, The Big Bang Theory, Glee, Modern Family , and The Office .

The SAG Awards will be given out in Los Angeles on January 29th.

Main nominations 

Best Ensemble Cast 
The Artist
Bridesmaids
The Descendants
The Help
Midnight in Paris 

Actor 
Demian Bichir, A Better Life 
George Clooney, The Descendants 
Leonardo DiCaprio, J Edgar Hoover 
Jean Dujardin, The Artist 
Brad Pitt, Moneyball 

Actress 
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs 
Viola Davis, The Help 
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady 
Tilda Swinton, We Need To Talk About Kevin 
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn 

Supporting Actor 
Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn 
Armie Hammer, J Edgar Hoover 
Jonah Hill, Moneyball 
Nick Nolte, Warrior 
Christopher Plummer, Beginners 

Supporting Actress 
Berenice Bejo, The Artist 
Jessica Chastain, The Help 
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids 
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs 
Octavia Spencer, The Help 

Additional reporting: Reuters 

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