The Film Experience

By Abe Friedtanzer

The nominations in this category were mostly expected save for the snub, once again, of Rhea Seehorn from Better Call Saul. Julia Garner, Thandie Newton, Samira Wiley, and Laura Dern have all won Emmys for these roles but only Newton and Wiley have ever competed against each other (and both lost). There’s no clear frontrunner but a handful of possibilities who could win here in a category that features a lot of very strong choices.

I’ll try to avoid major plot details in my analysis – but if you’d like more spoiler-filled descriptions, click on the episode titles. Let’s consider each nominee…

Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret in The Crown (Netflix)
Episode: “Cri de Coeur”

Carter has three previous Emmy nominations, for TV movies Burton and Taylor and Live from Baghdad and miniseries Merlin. She took over the role of the Queen’s younger sister from Vanessa Kirby, a nominee in this race two years ago. I was ready to hand-deliver the Emmy to Carter after seeing her work in the second episode of this season, “Margaretology,” which is all about her public persona. She decided instead to go with the season finale, which is also costar Olivia Colman’s submission, which still finds her doing compelling dramatic work as she reexamines her marriage. She could still win since she’s a real scene-stealer and does a great job with this role.

Laura Dern as Renata Klein in Big Little Lies (HBO)
Episode: “Tell-Tale Hearts”

Dern has been nominated seven times in the past, winning once – for the first season of this show back when it was considered a limited series in 2017. I think some people are experiencing a bit of Dern fatigue after she took home the Oscar last year for playing a cutthroat divorce attorney in Marriage Story. As one of the few people who liked the second season of Big Little Lies more than season one, I firmly believe that Dern was the best part and absolutely deserves another Emmy. Lashing out at her husband and declaring “I will not not be rich” are moments made for Emmy clips. Her biggest hurdle will be convincing voters that she’s worth choosing over costar Meryl Streep.

Julia Garner as Ruth Langmore in Ozark (Netflix)
Episode: “In Case of Emergency”

Garner is the defending champ in this category. Since season three only premiered in March of this year, she hasn’t had a chance to sweep all the other TV awards, but that doesn’t reduce her chances of repeating at the Emmys (a leading role in the acclaimed indie film The Assistant helps to boost her profile). Garner has an incomparably angry attitude as the talented and opinionated Ruth, and in season three she became even more embedded in her criminal organization. In her submitted episode, she faces off with law enforcement and rival mobsters and manages to maintain her same defiant nature, which is both entertaining and intense. Her costars Jason Bateman and Laura Linney might win this year, and there’s no reason to expect that voters won’t choose her again.

Thandie Newton as Maeve Millay in Westworld (HBO)
Episode: “The Winter Line”

Newton was a strong contender to win this prize for season one of her show but lost to an actress from The Handmaid’s Tale (Ann Dowd), then rallied to defeat three stars of that show the next year. Her show took last season off, and now it’s back with only half the nominations it had for each of its first two rounds. Newton is just as good as she’s ever been, and her performance in the second episode, which marks her submission, is simply incredible. The world presented here can be extremely confusing, and the fact that Maeve is able to figure out what’s going on only makes her performance more mesmerizing. Without her show up for Best Drama Series, I think Newton’s chances are much weaker, but her submission is excellent.

Fiona Shaw as Carolyn Martens in Killing Eve (AMC)
Episode: “Management Sucks”

Shaw was a double nominee last year, for this show and her guest spot on Fleabag. Most didn’t expect her show to do as well as it did this year, and while I didn’t predict Shaw, I do think that she does a fantastic job with this part. As a seasoned MI6 supervisor, Shaw is best when she’s reacting bluntly and often unkindly to the emotions of those around her, which is amplified in her submission, where she’s reeling from a loss of her own. I suspect Emmy voters will place Shaw about where I did below in my personal rankings, but that’s only because this category features multiple knockout performances.

Sarah Snook as Siobhan “Shiv” Roy in Succession (HBO)
Episode: “The Summer Palace”

When I first assessed this category, Snook wasn’t being campaigned here since she really is a lead along with the show’s two Best Actor nominees, Brian Cox and Jeremy Strong. But switching to this race was a smart strategic decision that earned her an inaugural Emmy nomination, and her significant screen time probably helped her beat out other legitimate contenders from her show like Holly Hunter and J. Smith-Cameron. Snook is a force as the only daughter of a dynasty, and most episodes of this season would showcase her work very well. The season premiere, in which she observes the behavior of her family and is given surprising news, is as good as any other, and general enthusiasm for her show this year could easily propel her to a win.

Meryl Streep as Mary Louise Wright in Big Little Lies (HBO)
Episode: “I Want to Know”

Twenty-one-time Oscar nominee Streep only has four previous Emmy nominations, three of which she won – in 1978 for Holocaust, in 2004 for Angels of America, and in 2017 for narrating Five Came Back. I know it’s probably illegal in certain states to criticize her performances or rank her last on any list, but this is not her best work. When she was cast a few years ago, it was big news, but her show already features fantastic A-list talent led by Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon. As a grieving mother who’s more predatory than endearing, her turn was a bit over-the-top, and the season finale doesn’t even present her in the best light. That doesn’t mean she’ll lose since her awards track record is unlike anyone else’s, but I think this category has much more notable performances albeit from admittedly less notable performers.

Samira Wiley as Moira Strand in The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)
Episode: “Sacrifice”

Wiley’s inclusion this year is a bit of a head-scratcher. She contended in this category for season one of her show when many, including me, thought she should have instead been nominated for Orange is the New Black, and then she was considered a guest star for season two, and won that award. I barely remember her being in season three, but apparently she was in seven out of thirteen episodes, just like season one. It’s still surprising to see her here over past winner Ann Dowd and previous nominee Yvonne Strahovski, both of whom gave very strong performances. Looking at her submitted episode, she does have a few impactful scenes, which help to explain how she got nominated. I didn’t expect her to win before and she did, but I still think a victory this time would be a real shock.

Personal Ranking:

Helena Bonham Carter, The Crown
Thandie Newton, Westworld
Laura Dern, Big Little Lies
Julia Garner, Ozark
Sarah Snook, Succession
Fiona Shaw, Killing Eve
Samira Wiley, The Handmaid’s Tale
Meryl Streep, Big Little Lies

Predicted Winner: Sarah Snook – Succession

Potential Spoiler: Helena Bonham Carter – The Crown