Glenn Close is now in the double digits at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. The actress just scored her 10th nomination from her fellow actors for her supporting performance as Mamaw in “Hillbilly Elegy.” The last time she was nominated, Close won for her lead turn in “The Wife,” which helped support a potential Oscar win that didn’t ultimately pan out. After losing the Golden Globe for “Hillbilly Elegy,” a SAG win might be exactly the boost she needs to become a frontrunner for the Oscar again.
Close’s competition at the SAG Awards includes Maria Bakalova (“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”), Olivia Colman (“The Father”), Yuh-Jung Youn (“Minari”) and Helena Zengel (“News of the World”). These are the first SAG nominations for Bakalova, Youn and Zengel, while Colman has now collected seven nominations in just three years, with concurrent bids this year for “The Crown” both individually and as part of the ensemble. Youn has her own additional nomination in the film ensemble category for “Minari.”
Meanwhile, Close’s SAG history dates all the way back to 1996 with the TV movie “Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story,” followed by another limited series/TV movie nom in 1998 for “In the Gloaming.” She won her first SAG Award in 2005 for “The Lion in Winter.” She earned four nominations in a row for “Damages” in 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012. Close also landed her first bid for a film in 2012 for “Albert Nobbs” and she won her second SAG Award two years ago for “The Wife.”
SEE Full list of SAG Awards nominations
While “Hillbilly Elegy” was trashed by critics, Close was able to escape somewhat unscathed. The actress completely inhabits the role of Mamaw with help from makeup and body prosthetics. Her Mamaw is a no-nonsense grandmother who has been through the rigors of life and is whipping her daughter and grandson into shape for their own benefit. Close gets several showcase scenes throughout the film, including an impassioned monologue to her grandson in the car about the importance of family. The film gives her plenty of room to go over the top, but she is able to craft a believable character out of Mamaw, one that may even be reminiscent of our own grandmothers.
Close may have lost the Golden Globe for “Hillbilly Elegy” but that doesn’t mean she can’t win at SAG. As the most respected veteran of this lineup, she already has a leg up on her competition, and the actress who beat her at the Globes, Jodie Foster for “The Mauritanian,” isn’t even nominated here. There is also more support for “Hillbilly Elegy” here considering her costar Amy Adams was nominated in the lead category.
This article is a part of Gold Derby’s “SAG Awards nominee profile” series spotlighting the 2021 contenders in film and TV.
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