Lauren E. Banks, Lawmen: Bass Reeves
WHY SHE DESERVES A NOD: It’s fun to watch grounded, subdued characters get pushed to a point where they lose their cool. It’s even more fun when the performers behind those characters are as captivating as Banks. In the Paramount+ drama’s finale, when Jennie gave in to the roiling emotions raised by her former mistress’ unannounced visit, Banks took her character from annoyed (those eye-rolls!) to furious, slapping the woman with a quickness fueled by her deepest fear: that her family would lose its freedom. And the intensity Banks conveyed when Jennie allowed her dread to surface in shaky breaths and tears? The terrible situation led to some gorgeous work on Banks’ part. — Kimberly Roots
Fall of the House of Usher was full of great performances, but considering the rarity with which the Academy awards horror projects, T’Nia Miller definitely should get kudos over Kate Siegel.
Gunning should have this one sewn up. Great performance, one of the best i’ve seen this year
While I normally love Jennifer Jason Leigh, I thought her Fargo performance and accent were a bit over the top. I might replace her (or one of the others, though I haven’t seen them all to fairly judge) with Hadas Yuron, beautifully anguished in her separation from her daughter as Mila in We Were the Lucky Ones. I do agree with the above comment about this being Gunning’s award to lose though.
No, just no, honestly, if anyone deserves it, it’s Samantha Sloyan for that death scene alone.
Seriously, why her? She wasn’t that outstanding in ‘Usher.’ and I thought she was just okay in Midnight Mass.
I’d love for a Fall of the House of Usher sweep in all the categories, but since they’re unlikely to even be nominated, I definitely agree most with Aja Naomi King. She was so good in Lessons in Chemistry. Course I haven’t watched Baby Reindeer yet, so it could be Gunning’s to lose for all I know