Los Angeles ? “Mystic River” and “The Station Agent” collected three Screen Actors Guild nominations apiece Thursday, including best ensemble cast.

Patricia Clarkson picked up bids for supporting actress for playing an angry cancer patient in “Pieces of April” and lead actress in “The Station Agent” for her portrayal of a lonesome artist.

Peter Dinklage, the diminutive star of “The Station Agent,” received a lead actor bid. He played a misanthropic dwarf who makes friends despite trying to isolate himself at an old train yard.

Besides best ensemble — the guild’s equivalent to a best picture category — “Mystic River” was recognized for Tim Robbins’ supporting turn as the survivor of childhood sexual abuse who finds himself the suspect of murder, and Sean Penn received a lead actor nomination for playing an ex-con.

Other ensemble contenders: “In America,” “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” and “Seabiscuit.”

Johnny Depp, a surprise Golden Globe nominee last month for playing a wobbly swashbuckler in “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,” picked up another bid for that role from the SAG — a significant boost for his Oscar chances.

The lead actress contenders besides Clarkson were Diane Keaton for “Something’s Gotta Give,” Naomi Watts for “21 Grams,” Charlize Theron for her unglamorous portrayal of Florida serial killer Aileen Wuornos in “Monster” and 16-year-old Evan Rachel Wood for “thirteen.”

Winners will be announced Feb. 22 in a ceremony broadcast live on TNT.