‘Station Eleven’s’ Matilda Lawler, Mackenzie Davis Deserve Emmy Noms – The Hollywood Reporter

In 2021, Claire Foy Wins Second Emmy Award For Playing Queen Elizabeth On Netflix’s Crown, a bizarre guest acting triumphantly for what’s hardly even a cameo. The easiest way to explain Foy’s win is that Emmy voters have lost all ability to judge guest acting categories, which required a complete overhaul. Or, look at Olivia Colman’s triumph as Queen Elizabeth on CrownWe can be generous and say what voters really enjoyed were the two roles, the comparative pleasure of watching actors put unique yet complementary spins on a common role.

Thank Showtime’s Yellow jacket, the voters can fill in the main and supporting actress fields on the TV series side with dual actors. For Melanie Lynskey’s Shauna, don’t forget the background layer set by Shauna’s teenage girl Sophie Nélisse. Do you think Christina Ricci has been delightfully transformed into an adult Misty? Be sure to honor how well Sammi Hanratty planted the seeds of Misty’s eccentricity.

However, I’m more worried about my favorite work in Emmy-eligible dual duty, Mackenzie Davis and Matilda Lawler are a perfect fit as plague survivor Kirsten in HBO Max’s Station 11. In the all-star limited series acting categories, where qualification standards can at least begin with an Oscar nomination, I really fear that Davis and Lawler might be punished for being just characters. soulful and sometimes humorous in Emily’s lyrical adaptation of St. John Mandel’s famous novel as their competition will be over who can smear the most plastic to play the famous historical figure. most famous. (Looking at you, Renée Zellweger in Things about Pam.)

It would have been easier to feel confident in Davis’s chances if Emmy voters hadn’t forgotten her heartbreakingly delicate work in Pause and catch fire – skip Davis and co-star Kerry Bishé in the final Halt The seasons are still an annoying thing I can’t forgive – and the episode “San Junipero” of Black mirror. In Station 11, Davis’ version of Kirsten embodies the series’ themes not only about the healing power of art but also its limitations, its blend of assertiveness and fragility, which is especially true for with viewers experiencing the show during the COVID-19 pandemic. She has the elements of an action heroine – she Terminator: Dark Fate swagger comes in handy – and she has to deliver Shakespeare’s monologues. It’s been too long for Emmy voters to realize how well Davis can anchor the best works of prestige television.

Lawler, whose previous main credit was a chilling Paramount special + Sinister, has more difficult task. Especially in the premiere, Lawler’s version of Kirsten was our target, a big-eyed kid who had to be able to speak first, but couldn’t. also early, and captures the devastating impact of a global trauma, while selling Himesh Patel’s hopeful relationship with Jeevan.

Voters should focus on “Goodbye My Damaged Home,” the season’s seventh episode, in which the flashback allows Davis and Lawler’s versions of Kirsten to share the screen. The episode represents a culmination for both Emmy-worthy actresses.

This story first appeared in the June issue of The Hollywood Reporter. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.