SAG Awards 2022: Best Supporting Actor & Supporting Actress Nominees, Ranked By Metacritic

While most movie fans turn to the major awards ceremonies like the  Oscars and Golden Globes, those are often determined by members of the press or the Academy. When it comes to the SAG Awards, it is about actors honoring their peers based on performances from the previous year. Many of these actors appeared in movies that critics praised as well.

However, there are some acting performances that came from movies that critics didn’t care for as much. Despite lackluster reviews, these stars turned in performances that might have risen above the source material. Metacritic is one of the top review aggregators and they liked some of the SAG nominees more than others.

10 Ben Affleck – The Tender Bar (53)

Streaming on Prime Video.

George Clooney was back behind the camera directing the drama movie The Tender Bar for Prime Video. The movie starred Tye Sheridan as JR Maguire, a young man who needed to find his way in the world. However, the best performance in the movie came from Ben Affleck.

Affleck starred as his Uncle Charlie, a bar owner who took an interest in helping JR when he could. Metacritic was not impressed, giving the movie an average rating of 53. Critics called it a simple story but praised Affleck’s performance.

9 Jared Leto – House Of Gucci (59)

Available to rent on Prime Video.

Most critics and fans talked about Lady Gaga’s powerful performance as Patrizia Reggiani in House of Gucci, a woman who had her ex-husband Maurizio Gucci killed. However, the SAG Awards also heaped some praise onto supporting actor Jared Leto.

Leto starred as Paolo Gucci, and he transformed himself into the character, becoming almost completely unrecognizable in the role. Metacritic only gave the movie an average score of 59, while mostly praising Lady Gaga’s performance over that of Leto.

8 Cate Blanchett – Nightmare Alley (70)

Streaming on HBO Max and Hulu.

Guillermo del Toro remade the classic movie Nightmare Alley, and it was a tale of two stories. The first story took place in a carnival setting with the hero finding his place in the world and the second was in the world of conmen where the hero met his match.

That was in the form of Cate Blanchett’s femme fatale Lilith. It was Blanchett who received SAG love. Metacritic gave the movie a generally favorable 70 score. Critics pointed out the rich characters, tropes, and archetypes on display in the movie.

7 Troy Kotsur – CODA (74)

Streaming on Apple TV+.

CODA was somewhat overlooked by the general public, but critics praised it as a wonderfully acted and nuanced movie. Ruby is the only member of her family who can hear and sets out to take care of her family as a Child of Deaf Adults (CODA).

The SAG Awards honored Troy Kotsur, who played her father in the movie and it was her relationship with him that tugged at the heartstrings of critics. Metacritic gave CODA a 74 rating, calling it a sentimental feel-good story that will make you laugh and cry.

6 Caitriona Balfe – Belfast (75)

Available to rent on AppleTV.

Belfast was a coming-of-age story about a young boy who lived in Belfast in the year The Troubles began. The entire film is set up as a family drama, with the grandparents, parents, and the boy having to make tough decisions determining how their lives would end up.

The SAG Awards honored Caitriona Balfe for her role as the mother in the movie, lauding it as one of the best performances in Belfast. Metacritic gave the movie generally favorable reviews, with a 75 average rating. The movie was called a love letter to both Belfast and movies in general.

5 Ruth Negga – Passing (85)

Streaming on Netflix.

Ruth Negga and Tessa Thompson feature in the cast of Passing as two childhood friends who reconnect years later in the 1920s. Thompson is Redfield, a Black woman who learns that her old friend Claire is passing as a white woman to make it through life without troubles.

Negga picked up the SAG nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Female Role, while Thompson was considered the sole lead in the movie. Metacritic called Passing Must See, with an 85 average rating. Critics not only praised the actors, but also director Rebecca Hall.

4 Ariana Debose – West Side Story (85)

Currently still in theaters.

Ariana Debose played Anita in West Side Story, the Steven Spielberg remake of the classic musical. Spielberg worked hard to take the overt racism out of the movie by making the Puerto Ricans more than just gang members. This included Anita, who had a good job and a vision for her future.

Debose was the only actor from West Side Story to get a SAG nomination. Critics also loved the movie, with Metacritic giving it an 85 score, calling it Must See. The critics praise mostly Spielberg for his direction, staging, and production, over the acting itself.

3 Kodi Smit-McPhee – The Power Of The Dog (89)

Streaming on Netflix.

The Power of the Dog is the powerhouse coming into the awards season. The Netflix movie by Jane Campion had three nominations for the SAG Awards, including Benedict Cumberbatch for Best Actor in a Male Role, and two actors picking up nominations for Best Supporting Actor.

Kodi Smit-McPhee was nominated for his role as the young Peter Gordon, the only son of Kirsten Dunst’s Rose. Metacritic proved the power of the movie, giving it an 89, signifying universal acclaim.

2 Kirsten Dunst – The Power Of The Dog (89)

Streaming on Netflix.

Kirsten Dunst was the second actor from The Power of the Dog to pick up a SAG nomination for Best Supporting Actor. She played Rose, The Power of the Dog’s most likable character, a single mother torn between two brothers, one good and one overly cruel, and a son who felt the need to protect his mother at all costs.

Critics loved the movie, calling it “as big as the open sky” and a movie that was beautiful, disturbing, and haunting. Praise also went to the actors, who delivered powerful performances, and a director at the top of her game.

1 Bradley Cooper – Licorice Pizza (90)

Currently still in theaters.

The highest-rated movie on Metacritic when it concerns SAG Awards nominees for Best Supporting Actor was P.T. Anderon’s Licorice Pizza. However, while the movie received universal acclaim on Metacritic, only one actor picked up a nomination and that was Bradley Cooper.

Cooper, who also appeared in Nightmare Alley in 2021, took on the role of a movie producer with a very eccentric personality. The movie has a 90 score on Metacritic and critics praised its nostalgia factor, acting, and direction.

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