Irish actors make a splash in SAG Award nominations

Irish actors Nicola Coughlan, Colin Farrell, and Andrew Scott all landed major nominations for the 31st annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, which will be hosted in February. 

Galway native Nicola Coughlan is nominated in the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series category for her role as Penelope Featherington on the Netflix smash hit “Bridgerton.”

It is her first acting nomination at the SAG Awards.

Nicola Coughlan in "Bridgerton." (Liam Daniel / Netflix)

Coughlan faces some stiff competition - her fellow nominees are Kathy Bates (“Matlock”), Allison Janney (“The Diplomat”), Keri Russell (“The Diplomat”), and Anna Sawai (“Shōgun”).

“Bridgerton” is also nominated in the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series category. It’s up against “The Day of the Jackal,” “The Diplomat, “Shōgun,” and “Slow Horses.”

Coughlan celebrated her SAG nominations on social media on Wednesday, saying she was "in absolute shock" and describing them as a "lovely early birthday present."

Meanwhile, Dublin actors Colin Farrell and Andrew Scott are seeing a repeat of the Golden Globes showdown having both been nominated in the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series category.

Farrell is nominated for “The Penguin” - which he recently scooped a Golden Globe for - while Scott is nominated for “Ripley.”

“The Penguin,” on which Farrell is also an executive producer, is also nominated in the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series category (Cristin Miloti) and the Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series category.

Colin Farrell in "The Penguin." (Macall Polay/HBO)

Scott’s acting nomination is the only nod “Ripley” received.

Andrew Scott in "Ripley." (Netflix)

Elsewhere, “The Day of the Jackal,” which features Belfast native Jonjo O’Neill, was also nominated in the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series category.

“Gladiator II,” which stars Irish actor Paul Mescal, picked up only one nomination - in the Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture category. 

"Slow Horses," which features Saoirse Ronan's husband Jack Lowden, is nominated in the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series category.

Ronan, who starred in the critically-acclaimed "The Outrun" and "Blitz" in 2024, didn't land any SAG nominations.

Saoirse Ronan and Jack Lowden in 2019. (Getty Images)

Also missing from the nominations is Cillian Murphy, whose turn in "Small Things Like These" had been generating some Oscar buzz.

Voted on by SAG-AFTRA’s membership of 122,000+ performers, the SAG Awards has the largest voting body on the awards circuit.

The SAG Awards Ceremony will stream live globally on Sunday, February 23 on Netflix.