In addition “Braveheart” (1995), “Gangs of New York” (2002) and three “Harry Potter” movies, Brendan Gleeson’s acting resume include several collaborations each with filmmaking brothers John Michael and Martin McDonagh. His and the latter writer-director’s third project, “The Banshees of Inisherin,” has led to his very first Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for both supporting actor and ensemble. Now well into the fourth decade of his career, the sexagenarian could make history as the oldest performer to win two SAG trophies for a single film.
In the supporting category, Gleeson is competing against three others who are also up for the ensemble prize: Paul Dano (“The Fabelmans”), Ke Huy Quan (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) and his “Banshees” castmate, Barry Keoghan. Like Gleeson, Keoghan and Quan are total SAG Awards newcomers, while Dano is already an ensemble winner for 2006’s “Little Miss Sunshine.” The fifth and final solo contender, Eddie Redmayne (“The Good Nurse”), triumphed two years ago as part of the cast of “The Trial of the Chicago 7” and has a lead actor trophy to his name for 2014’s “The Theory of Everything.”
Gleeson appears in “The Banshees of Inisherin” as Colm Doherty, an early 20th century Irishman who sets the plot in motion by abruptly cutting ties with his best friend, Pádraic (lead nominee Colin Farrell). As the story progresses and Pádraic vainly employs every fence-mending tactic he can think of, it becomes clear that the aging Colm is afflicted by severe depression that he is unable to properly manage.
SEE Full list of SAG Awards nominations
At age 67, Gleeson would be the seventh oldest person to ever win either supporting film category at the SAG Awards. Included in the small group he would rank behind are male champs Christopher Plummer (82, “Beginners”) and Robert Duvall (68, “A Civil Action”) and female victors Gloria Stuart (87, “Titanic”), Ruby Dee (85, “American Gangster”), Yuh-Jung Youn (73, “Minari”) and Lauren Bacall (72, “The Mirror Has Two Faces). In his own category, he would knock Morgan Freeman (67, “Million Dollar Baby”) out of third place.
As of now, the list of featured male film performers who have won both individual and ensemble SAG Awards consists of five names: Ed Harris (1995’s “Apollo 13”), Javier Bardem (2007’s “No Country for Old Men”), Christoph Waltz (2009’s “Inglourious Basterds”), Sam Rockwell (2017’s “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”) and Troy Kotsur (2021’s “CODA”). The overall record for oldest dual film SAG Award winner has been held for five years by Rockwell’s “Three Billboards” castmate, Frances McDormand (60). The corresponding male title belongs to Kotsur (53), who outpaced Waltz by a margin of 107 days just last year.
This article is a part of Gold Derby’s “SAG Awards nominee profile” series spotlighting the 2023 contenders in film and TV.
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