SAG Predictions: Best Actress in a Leading Role

This year, the Screen Actors Guild announces its picks one day before Golden Globe nominations are revealed, which means it will be considerably tougher to predict the nominees without that helpful handicap of knowing ten likely contenders beforehand. Without knowing all that much, here are my best guesses for SAG’s five inclusions in this category.

Last year’s nominees:
Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right)
Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole)
Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone)
Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Hilary Swank (Conviction)

Let’s start with the locks: Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady) and Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs). It’s likely that Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene) will be included, and I think Michelle Williams (My Wee k with Marilyn) will make up for her snub last year with a mention this time. The fifth slot is a free-for-all. Jodie Foster (Carnage) could be a creative choice, as could Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin) and otherwise it could go to Kirsten Dunst (Melancholia) or Keira Knightley (A Dangerous Method). I feel like there’s someone I’m not considering – any ideas?

Current predictions:
Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs)
Jodie Foster (Carnage)
Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene)
Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)
Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn)