Emmy Hopefuls: The case for Tobias Menzies for both Outlander, The Terror
We think that through these two different projects, you see a large range of just what Tobias can do as an actor. He has a quiet intensity about him that allows him to alternate between emotions in a way that is gut-wrenching and organic. Meanwhile, he has a tenderness and a passion that you can see in everything from the smallest moment to an hour-long series of scenes. You see so many of these emotions play out through watching him as Frank Randall, a man who tries to make a marriage work in Outlander season 3 despite the clearly-obvious fact that his wife Claire is in love with another man. The scenes that he has with Caitriona Balfe are electric, especially when the intensity rises and the two are as raw as humanly possible. Few characters are able to tackle this level of power with such believability.
As James Fitzjames on The Terror, you also saw the painful journey of a troubled man who, despite a lack of seafaring experience on these sort of Arctic expeditions, figured out precisely how to lead in his own way. Fitzjames is a very different sort of man from Frank in his desires and outlook on the world. Yet, he was equally believable in his journey. One of the strangest things about this past year for Tobias is that both characters had their own tragic ending, and are thus inexplicably linked in a death that happened well before their time.
Even if Menzies did not make it to the end of either show this year, his performances left a mark that will withstand the test of time.
What’s the chance of a nomination?
We do think that Tobias has a pretty reasonable chance for The Terror as a supporting actor in a limited series (we think that Jared Harris will probably be classified as the lead here). This is the sort of product that Emmy voters often choose to vote for, and while this is a competitive category we do think the performance and the exposure really speak for themselves. He was a big part of the story and his presence is unavoidable.
As for Outlander, Menzies is a little more of a darkhorse just because so many of his scenes were concentrated at the start of the season. There’s also so much more competition in the way of shows and because of the way in which season 3 was told, it’s going to be a challenge for any supporting actor to get a lot of Emmy recognition. That will likely change during season 4, when Jamie and Claire are more concentrated in a single place. Unfortunately, that won’t exactly help Tobias at that point — even if he makes a surprise appearance, it won’t be long enough to put him in supporting actor contention.
Related – Be sure to check out some other news right now when it comes to the show
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