Gary Oldman’s path to the Oscars continues at the Screen Actors Guild Awards where he is up for leading actor in a film.
He enters Sunday’s ceremony, which is a good predictor of the Academy Awards, having won a Golden Globe and a Critics’ Choice Award for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour.
He is up against fellow Briton Daniel Kaluuya at the Los Angeles event, as well as Denzel Washington, Timothee Chalamet and James Franco, who has faced allegations of sexually inappropriate behaviour.
Other British talent up for awards include Victoria & Abdul’s Dame Judi Dench and The Shape Of Water’s Sally Hawkins, who are both for best actress, as is Ireland’s Saoirse Ronan for Lady Bird.
Leading the way for films with four nominations is Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – by British and Irish director Martin McDonagh.
Big Little Lies, also with four nominations, leads the way in the television categories, which also have Britons vying for contention.
Stranger Things’ Millie Bobby Brown and The Crown’s Claire Foy have two nominations apiece, both for best actress in a drama series and drama ensemble.
Sherlock’s Benedict Cumberbatch is nominated for actor in a limited TV series.
It will be seen whether stars choose to use the ceremony to keep publicity on the #MeToo anti-sexual harassment movement which gained worldwide recognition in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein revelations.
The organisers announced an all-woman line-up to present the awards, including Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong’o, who accused Weinstein of harassment, and Olivia Munn, one of the actresses to accuse director Brett Ratner of sexual misconduct, which he denied.
It will also be seen whether The Disaster Artist’s Franco will attend having missed picking up his Critics’ Choice Award.
Earlier that day, the Los Angeles Times reported that five women had accused him of sexually inappropriate behaviour. Franco did not respond but his publicist pointed towards his earlier comment that allegations on social media were “not accurate”.
The SAG Awards are decided by the more than 121,000 members of the SAG-AFTRA guild, which includes actors and journalists.
The annual ceremony is seen as a good indicator for the Oscars because actors are the largest group in the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, judges of the Academy Awards.
Kristen Bell will host the 24th SAG Awards at the Shrine Auditorium, which starts at 5pm local time, 1am on Monday in the UK.