Category Analysis: Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
Friday, July 30, 2021 at 9:00AM 
With no recurring guest nominee present, this should have been an exciting crop. And yet, if I am being completely honest, it's hard to get excited. Two nominations for The Mandalorian but none for its best submission (Bill Burr)? The best "guest actor" from The Crown was not even submitted (Tom Brooke). An Emmy favorite gets in for a show already cancelled by its network on its first season. Meanwhile, Don Cheadle gets in for a cameo in a Marvel series? These are the men in this year's crop of contenders for this category.
Without further ado, the nominees and their episode submissions…
Don Cheadle as Colonel James Rhodes in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Disney+)
Episode: “New World Order” (season 1 episode 1)
Description (from ballot): “Colonel James Rhodes / War Machine is an officer with the United States Air Force and a member of the Avengers. He is present when Sam Wilson donates Captain America’s shield to the Smithsonian and questions why Sam did not want to take up the mantle.”
In his eleventh Emmy nomination, Cheadle appears in the pilot episode of this series as one of the audience members during Sam Wilson’s (Anthony Mackie) turnover of Captain America’s shield to a museum. After Wilson's speech, they take a walk around the museum as they catch up. This is a head-scratching nomination; even Don Cheadle thinks so. This is not a critique on the actor but on the material. The episode basically asks him to a) react to Wilson's speech about major global events, specifically Captain America's death, and b) deliver a speech that would cause Wilson to reflect on his role as Falcon. Perhaps his scene in this episode has more gravitas for those who closely follow the MCU (I don't), but it has barely any meat on it to stand alone, let alone result in a nomination.
Cheadle is overdue for an Emmy win, but I do not believe this will change that. The other nominees come from shows that overperformed in nominations and have more material to work with (though that's not saying a lot this year). The nomination is the reward. And the reward is for being Don Cheadle.
Charles Dance as Lord Mountbatten in The Crown (Netflix)
Episode: “Gold Stick” (season 4 episode 1)
Description (from ballot): “Concerned that Prince Charles is not taking his duty seriously, Lord Mountbatten confronts him about his ongoing affair with Camilla and advises that he end it and find a suitable wife. While holidaying in Ireland, Mountbatten is the victim of an IRA bombing and his death deeply impacts Charles’s future.”
On his fourth Emmy nomination, Dance reprises his role as Lord Mountbatten in the show's season premiere. We see him on a phone call with Prince Charles (Josh O'Connor). As the conversation develops towards a disagreement over Charles's relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles, Charles's tirade silences Mountbatten. Dance is excellent in this moment: you feel his genuine concern about Charles, but it is also deeply uncomfortable when Charles turns the table. Is he angry or just unable to handle the moment? Dance combines these possibilities and raises questions about Mountbatten himself, complimenting O'Connor's agitating speech. He is also able to locate the man behind the political figure in the later moments (especially in his voice-over), making his final moments surprisingly poignant.
The Crown stormed this year as the nominations leader and is the current frontrunner for Drama Series so eyeballs will definitely be on this performance, too. Dance could be swept with the love for the show. It also helps that his submission is the first episode of the season and his character's death is a pivotal moment on the show, too. Dance previously co-starred in Emmy juggernaut Game of Thrones and has never won so he has to be taken seriously as a potential winner.
Timothy Olyphant as Cobb Vanth in The Mandalorian (Disney+)
Episode: “Chapter 9: The Marshal” (season 2 episode 1)
Description (from ballot): “The Mandalorian, drawn to the Outer Rim in search of others of his kind, meets Cobb Vanth, the marshal of Mos Pelgo, a small town on Tatooine. A capable peacekeeper, Vanth, played by Timothy Olyphant, is the custodian of Boba Fett's Mandalorian armor, which he bought from Jawa traders.”
Olyphant enters the Star Wars Universe and the Emmy race as a marshal wearing a Mandalorian armor, causing the Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) to confront him to return the armor. The episode builds towards their first confrontation, but Olyphant offsets it with a confident smile, one that indicates his position of power in Mos Pelgo. Even when the tension rises, Olyphant evokes effortless suave. This immediately puts him on the good side, which is further proven with backstory and subsequent actions. This performance is probably best described as charisma without arrogance. It's not complicated work but plays fine in the context of the show.
In terms of Emmy win chances, it's tough to say. The show did very well with nominations, sharing the highest number of nods with The Crown. And Olyphant is a previous nominee for Drama Lead Actor way back in 2011 for Justified. But The Mandalorian is not exactly an actors' showcase despite its nominations.
Courtney B. Vance as George Freeman in Lovecraft Country (HBO)
Episode: “Whitey’s on the Moon” (season 1 episode 2)
Description (from ballot): “At the Ardham Lodge, George counsels Leti and Atticus as they maneuver through the strange town, and even stranger spells. He uncovers important secrets about Atticus’s birthright, but the family suffers a blow when George falls victim to the Braithewhite, and dies tragically in the arms of his brother Montrose.”
This Emmy-winning actor is back after his first win and nomination in 2016, now for his role as a genial uncle. He accompanies his nephew Atticus (Jonathan Majors) and Atticus's love interest Leti (Jurnee Smollett) when they are brought to a creepy mansion run by a mysterious group of white people. While he initially enjoys the accommodations (and it is a joy to see Vance have fun), his gradual awareness that's something off shows in Vance's deft attention to voice modulation and facial expression. A dance with a mysterious figure, a speech confronting a room full of strangers, and a touching reunion are some of the beats in George's dynamic character arc that Vance handles with clarity and nuance. It's easily the best material and the best performance from this particular shortlist.
Lovecraft Country is currently up in the air in terms of its Emmy prospects. HBO announced the cancellation of the show after nominations voting was over. It's yet to be seen if that impacts any chances the show had to win trophies. Otherwise Vance is in a good position to win a second Emmy, save fof the fact that he is up against Dance who a) has never won an Emmy and b) is the frontrunner to win Drama Series. This category might give us a sign that The Crown will just sweep.
Carl Weathers as Greef Karga in The Mandalorian (Disney+)
Episode: “Chapter 12: The Siege” (season 2 episode 4)
Description (from ballot): “The Mandalorian rejoins old allies for a new mission as Carl Weathers reprises his role of Greef Karga. Once an expeditor for the Bounty Hunters Guild, running the trade on Nevarro as a middle-man and a connector between clients and bounty hunters, he is now the Magistrate of Nevarro.”
An actor of almost five decades, Weathers got his first industry nomination for this role. In this episode, Karge persuades the Mandalorian to help them take out an old Imperial to secure the safety of Nevarro, the planet that he governs. Like Olyphant, Weathers doesn't get rich emotional material. Rather, the writing in this episode (in keeping with the entire show) merely asks him to be present in the moment and respond. However, Weathers's character lacks a clear arc when compared to Olyphant's. Though he has substantial screentime he isn't giving distinctive emotional beats to play that would allow him to shine. The closest that we get are his sharp-witted verbal intimidations to a person who owes him.
The only edge Weathers' might have is that he has been a part of the show since the first season. Methinks voters will lean towards Olyphant of the two nominees from the show due to the material he has. However, puzzling outcomes have happened in this category so we can never be so sure.
Prediction - Likelihood to win:
1. Courtney B. Vance - Lovecraft Country - “Whitey’s on the Moon”
2. Charles Dance - The Crown - “Gold Stick”
3. Timothy Olyphant - The Mandalorian - “Chapter 9: The Marshal”
4. Carl Weathers - The Mandalorian - “Chapter 12: The Siege”
5. Don Cheadle - The Falcon and the Winter Soldier - “New World Order”
Personal Preference
1. Courtney B. Vance - Lovecraft Country - “Whitey’s on the Moon”
2. Charles Dance - The Crown - “Gold Stick”
3. Carl Weathers - The Mandalorian - “Chapter 12: The Siege”
4. Timothy Olyphant - The Mandalorian - “Chapter 9: The Marshal”
5. Don Cheadle - The Falcon and the Winter Soldier - “New World Order”
Who do you think will win and who would you vote for?
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Reader Comments (9)
I'd vote Dance but agreed, it'll probs be Vance.
That is just shocking that Tom Brooke wasn't even submitted, for what was clearly the best episode of this season of The Crown, showing as it did the real life devastation of Thatcher's policies (something it did a lot better than It's A Sin, for example).
Agree that of those nominated, Vance is the deserving winner, although I'm a little higher than you on Timothy Olyphant who I think hit just the right note during his appearance on The Mandolorian.
Tom Brooke not being submitted for The Crown will forever be a terrible mistake.
You are correct about Bill Burr.
If the host or presenter makes a joke about how Dance and Vance rhyme, I'm tuning out.
Does anyone know why Tom Brooke wasn't submitted? Fagan was a great episode and his work was spectacular. Very odd choice from producers and netflix.
I think this is between Vance, who is great and well loved, and Olymphant who is well loved and emmyless. I think this could be a place to reward the well-loved Mandalorian, and Disney can easily put a lot of money behind it.
Good on Carl Weathers for being nominated. He should have been nominated/won an emmy for Arrested Development - his work there was always hilarious and easier than it looked.
I like Don Cheadle but that nomination feels so wrong. It was nothing more than a cameo and that is it. They should've given the nod to Carl Lumbly.
It is crazy how the really good guest performances in The Crown continues to be overlooked, e.g. Jane Lapotaire last season and now Tom Brooke, but the actors doing the most basic acting get the nominations, like Foy and Dance here.
I do think Dance will win this one, but I LOVE Vance in Lovecraft. Uncancel that series!
Also here for the Tom Brooke train. Boy, was he phenomenal or what? His episode is even the best episode of the whole show so far.