Michael Imperioli (‘The White Lotus: Sicily’) could join niche group of SAG Awards winners
As one of the stars of HBO’s “The White Lotus: Sicily,” Michael Imperioli has a strong shot at sharing in a Screen Actors Guild Award win for Best TV Drama Ensemble. He stands apart from his cast mates in that he has triumphed in this category before, for “The Sopranos” in 2000 and 2008. His potential third victory would put him in the company of just two other actors who have won this award for two different series. As it happens, they both also initially prevailed as members of the “Sopranos” cast.
The SAG Awards club Imperioli is looking to join was initiated by Greg Antonacci, who won Best TV Drama Ensemble for “The Sopranos” in 2008 and “Boardwalk Empire” in 2011. Dominic Chianese then met the criteria by being awarded for the same two shows in 2000 and 2012, respectively. “Boardwalk Empire” star Steve Buscemi, who shared in the series’ two ensemble wins, was first unsuccessfully nominated in this category for “The Sopranos” in 2005. Others who played regular or recurring roles on both crime dramas include Tom Aldredge, Max Casella and Will Janowitz.
The list of performers who have been nominated in this category for multiple drama series already consists of three dozen names. Three of these actors – Jonathan Banks, Giancarlo Esposito and Bob Odenkirk – could collectively earn their third ensemble nomination for “Better Call Saul” this year, having previously been recognized in 2019 and 2021 as well as at least once each for “Breaking Bad.” Odenkirk won this SAG Award for the parent series in 2014 and thus could also soon become the third actor to triumph as part of two different drama ensembles.
The first actors to receive Best TV Drama Ensemble notices for two series were James Pickens Jr. (“The X Files,” 1999; “Grey’s Anatomy,” 2006-2008) and Jimmy Smits (“NYPD Blue,” 1995-1999; “The West Wing,” 2006), while the latest entrant on the list was Brian Cox (“Deadwood,” 2007; “Succession,” 2022). In 2009, Smits became the first person to be recognized here for his work on a third program (“Dexter”) and was recently followed in that distinction by Julianna Margulies (“ER,” 1995-2000; “The Good Wife,” 2010-2012; “The Morning Show,” 2022).
This year, several more actors could join Imperioli in being nominated in this ensemble category for a second series, including his “Sicily” costar, F. Murray Abraham (formerly of “Homeland”). Other likely candidates in this regard are Patricia Arquette (then: “Boardwalk Empire”; now: “Severance”), Eric Dane (“Grey’s Anatomy”; “Euphoria”), Jonny Lee Miller (“Dexter”; “The Crown”), Jonathan Pryce (“Game of Thrones”; “The Crown”), Adam Scott (“Big Little Lies”; “Severance”), Matt Smith (“The Crown”; “House of the Dragon”) and Sydney Sweeney (“The Handmaid’s Tale”; “Euphoria”).
Nominations for the 29th SAG Awards will be announced on Wednesday, January 11 with the ceremony following on Sunday, February 26. The event is expected to be televised, although the organization has yet to partner with a new network after reaching the end of their decades-long deal with TNT and TBS.
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