SAG Awards: Meet ‘Albert Nobbs,’ ‘Kevin’ and ‘The Iron Lady’

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This year’s SAG Awards nominees, announced Wednesday morning, include a number of performances in films that haven’t opened yet, have only had brief one-week runs to qualify for Academy Awards consideration, or simply flew under the radar. Here’s a quick overview if you were stumped by titles including ‘Albert Nobbs,’ ‘We Need to Talk About Kevin’ and ‘The Iron Lady.’

‘Albert Nobbs,’ about a woman living a double life as a man to work and survive in 19th century Ireland, received nominations for lead actress Glenn Close and supporting actress Janet McTeer. If you haven’t seen the film, it’s because it doesn’t open until next week. The film did play at the Telluride and Toronto film festivals, where its awards campaign began in earnest.

Tilda Swinton received a lead actress nomination for her role in ‘We Need to Talk About Kevin,’ in which she plays a mother struggling to come to terms with her son’s involvement in a school shooting. The film began a one-week qualifying run in L.A. and New York on Dec. 9 and will open commercially in the same cities Jan. 27. It played at the Cannes Film Festival in May, and you can watch our video report below or read Kenneth Turan’s review of the film here.

‘The Iron Lady,’ a biopic about Margaret Thatcher, garnered a lead actress nomination for Meryl Streep. The film opens Dec. 30 in L.A. and New York and will go nationwide Jan. 13. British critics have lauded her performance.

Some low-profile performances from earlier in the year that earned SAG nominations include Demian Bichir’s turn in ‘A Better Life,’ in which he plays an illegal-immigrant gardener trying to provide for his son; Nick Nolte in ‘Warrior,’ in which he plays the estranged father of dueling brothers; and Christopher Plummer in ‘Beginners,’ in a supporting role as a recently out-of-the-closet widower who embraces his new lifestyle with gusto.

The SAG Awards winners will be named Jan. 29 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

RELATED:

SAG Awards: The complete list of nominees

‘Warrior’: Nick Nolte on whether a felon could win an Oscar

SAG Awards: Demián Bichir, Armie Hammer among surprise nominees

— Oliver Gettell