Double the honors

CLINT EASTWOOD and Leonardo DiCaprio scored dual Golden Globe nominations in the best director and best actor categories, respectively -- a rarity that is certain to boost their odds of an Oscar nod.

Eastwood, 76, received best director nominations for his World War II films “Flags of Our Fathers” and “Letters From Iwo Jima,” which opens Wednesday. The films offer opposing views of the same 1945 battle, with “Flags” depicting the emotional struggle of American soldiers in its aftermath and “Letters” recollecting (in Japanese with English subtitles) Japan’s heroic last stand in which about 20,000 Japanese troops died.

Eastwood declined to be interviewed about the dual nominations.

DiCaprio, 32, was nominated for his portrayal of a mercenary diamond smuggler in “Blood Diamond,” directed by Edward Zwick, and for his portrayal of an undercover cop in “The Departed,” directed by Martin Scorsese -- two mature roles that downplay the actor’s boyishness that in the past has shadowed his performances.

For his part in “Blood Diamond” -- an action-thriller that depicts how the diamond trade in 1990s Sierra Leone funded a civil war there -- DiCaprio spent weeks researching local accents and slang and in military training. In “The Departed,” DiCaprio holds his own opposite Jack Nicholson, who portrays the Irish mob boss whom DiCaprio’s character is trying to take down.

“I gotta say it’s pretty surprising ... I did not expect two nominations for my work,” said the actor, adding that he hopes the publicity will draw more audiences to “Blood Diamond.” “ ‘The Departed’ has already had its run for the most part,” he said. “It really is one of those situations where I want to get people into ‘Blood Diamond.’ ”

Though the dual nominations of DiCaprio and Eastwood in such high-profile categories were unusual, several others received multiple Globe nominations this year:

* Singer Beyonce Knowles received a nod for playing best actress in a musical or comedy as a Diana Ross-esque singer in “Dreamgirls,” and for co-writing the film’s best original song nominee, “Listen.”

* Helen Mirren received nominations for playing the English monarch Elizabeth II in the film “The Queen” and as one of history’s most famous rulers in the TV miniseries “Elizabeth I.” Mirren scored a third nomination as the tough-minded police inspector in the Masterpiece Theater miniseries, “Prime Suspect: The Final Act.” Said Mirren: “I’m completely, as we say in England, gobstruck. It’s when your jaw hangs open in amazement. It’s incredibly meaningful.... To have done that work in a year -- it was very, very demanding -- and to be nominated for all three was an incredible achievement for me.”

* Chiwetel Ejiofor received a nomination for best actor in a musical or comedy for playing a cross-dressing cabaret performer in “Kinky Boots” and was also nominated for best actor in a TV miniseries or movie for playing a father searching for his child in “Tsunami: The Aftermath.”

* Annette Bening picked up nominations for best actress in a musical or comedy for her role as an eccentric wife and mother in “Running With Scissors” and for best actress in a miniseries or movie as the murderess in “Mrs. Harris.”

* Emily Blunt was honored with nominations for best supporting actress in “The Devil Wears Prada” as the harried assistant to a fashion magazine editor and supporting actress in a series, miniseries or movie for playing the daughter of a British P.R. genius in “Gideon’s Daughter.”

* And Toni Collette was nominated for best actress in a comedy or musical for “Little Miss Sunshine” as the mother of a young beauty pageant contestant and for supporting actress in a series, miniseries or movie for playing a local educator in “Tsunami: The Aftermath.”

gina.piccalo@latimes.com

susan.king@latimes.com