‘Argo,’ ‘Lincoln’ among SAG film award nods

Actors Taye Diggs, left, and Busy Phillips announce Daniel Day-Lewis as a nominee for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in “Lincoln” during the nominations for the 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Award at the Pacific Design Center on Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2012, in West Hollywood, Calif. The show will be held on Jan. 27, 2013, in Los Angeles. AP/Chris Pizzello/Invision

LOS ANGELES—Steven Spielberg’s presidential drama “Lincoln” and the romantic comedy “Silver Linings Play Book” topped Screen Actors Guild nominations Wednesday, as Hollywood’s awards season got into gear.

In second place was “Les Miserables,” the star-studded film adaptation of the musical stage show, which garnered three nods including one for Australia’s Hugh Jackman as best actor.

The nominations come as Tinseltown’s annual prize-giving season — which climaxes with the Oscars in February — warms up, with the Golden Globe shortlists due to be announced Thursday.

The SAG nominees for best ensemble cast were the Iran hostage crisis drama “Argo,” “Les Miserables,” “Silver Linings Playbook,” “Lincoln,” and the India-set comedy “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.”

Jackman also got a best actor nod for his “Les Mis” turn, as did “Hangover” star Bradley Cooper for “Silver Linings Playbook,” Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln, Denzel Washington piloting “Flight” and John Hawkes in “The Sessions.”

“Being recognized by your peers is something I could only dream of happening and to be included in this group of actors is not only humbling but quite frankly surreal,” Cooper said, cited by the Hollywood Reporter.

Best actress nominations included Jessica Chastain in much-praised Osama bin Laden hunt movie “Zero Dark Thirty,” Jennifer Lawrence for “Silver Linings Playbook,” and Britain’s Helen Mirren for “Hitchcock.”

British-Australian actress Naomi Watts was also nominated for her performance in Indian Ocean tsunami movie “The Impossible,” along with French actress Marianne Cotillard in “Rust and Bone.”

“I’m truly thrilled. It’s an honor to be a part of Maria Belon’s story and of course the countless others whose lives were so profoundly affected by the tsunami,” said Watts, referring to the real-life tsunami survivor she plays.

Supporting actor nods went to Alan Arkin for “Argo,” Spain’s Javier Bardem for 007 blockbuster “Skyfall,” Robert de Niro for “Silver Linings Playbook,” Tommy Lee Jones for “Lincoln” and Philip Seymour Hoffman for “The Master.”

Britain’s Maggie Smith was nominated as best supporting actress in “Marigold Hotel,” as was Nicole Kidman for “The Paperboy,” Anne Hathaway for “Les Miserables,” Helen Hunt in “The Sessions,” and Sally Field for “Lincoln.”

On the television front, Emmy-winning “Modern Family” was nominated for best comedy ensemble cast — which it has won for the last two years — along with “The Big Bang Theory,” “Glee,” “The Office” and “Nurse Jackie.”

Multiple award-winning British period drama “Downton Abbey” won a nod for best TV drama, along with spy-themed “Homeland,” cult retro series “Mad Men,” “Breaking Bad,” and “Boardwalk Empire,” which has also won two years running.

Steve Buscemi was nominated for best TV drama actor in “Boardwalk Empire,” along with Jon Hamm for “Mad Men,” Britain’s Damian Lewis in “Homeland,” Bryan Cranston in “Breaking Bad” and Jeff Daniels in “The Newsroom.”

Best TV actress nods went to Emmy-winner Claire Danes for “Homeland,” Michelle Dockery and Maggie Smith for “Downton Abbey,” Jessica Lange for “American Horror Story: Asylum” and Julianna Margulies for “The Good Wife.”

The SAG awards will be handed out on January 27 in Los Angeles. The Golden Globe winners will be announced on January 13, and the Academy Awards on February 24.