Golden Globes 2019: Why Robin Lord Taylor, Richard Rankin, Joseph Sikora, Jesse Williams, Tobias Menzies should get Supporting Actor nod
The 2019 Golden Globes are going to be airing on NBC come Sunday, January 6 on NBC, but campaign season is already underway! From now until early December, expect a wide array of campaigns from various networks and studios about specific shows and performers across a number of categories.
Here at CarterMatt, we’re getting back into the swing of things again with our own annual Golden Globes Preview Series! Our team has huddled together and come up with our own list of personal picks across some important categories, and over the next couple of weeks we’ll be sharing many of them alongside polls for you to vote for to show your support. We want this to be a fun, interactive way to help campaign for shows during this process and have some fun discussion along the way about some of the best that TV has to offer.
Just a reminder – These are not the actual Golden Globe nominees. These are just our personal picks that we hope will bring attention to these shows and actors during campaign season — that includes our focus today in Supporting Actor. Remember with the supporting categories at the Golden Globes that they encompass comedy, drama, and limited series / TV movies. It’s somewhat frustrating, but that isn’t changing, at least for this year.
Voting Rules – Vote however often you’d like! (If you are having trouble, there are instructions at the bottom of the page.) Voting will remain open until Friday, November 30 at 2:00 p.m. Pacific time. This allows the debate to continue for most of the campaign period. The actual nominations will be announced come December 6.
Tobias Menzies, The Terror – Over the next year, we firmly imagine that Menzies will become even more of a household name and awards contender thanks to his upcoming role playing Prince Philip on The Crown. As it is though, his work is still worth recognizing time and time again. Captain James Fitzjames was a man who entered the furthest reaches of hell on The Terror — he entered series as a man still looking to establish his sea legs on long voyages and, by the end of it, was forced to bear witness to much of mankind’s descent into despair. This was a multifaceted portrait of who he was, and also who he could have been with just a few different decisions.
Richard Rankin, Outlander – Rankin enters the race this year with momentum, given that season 4 is currently airing and he is allowing us to see many new layers of unexplored depth with the Roger MacKenzie character. Episode 403 offered up a panoramic viewpoint into some of this character’s desires, but also his flaws as he struggled to get on the same page ideologically with Brianna. He fills Roger with such an innate likability that you want to view him first as infallible; then, he’s able to jerk you backwards with just a few comments, ones that indicate that this is a human who says the wrong thing and makes false assumptions just like everyone else.
Joseph Sikora, Power – Sikora’s work as Tommy Egan has long been top-notch, especially with his understanding of who this character is and his place within this complicated world. While Tommy is dangerous, he is also deliberate. He can be extremely loyal and caring, but also quick to act when he feels the tinge of betrayal. What happened to Tony Teresi near the end of season 5, coupled with the closing cliffhanger with Angela, could greatly change this character’s future. Sikora has delivered the necessary power (pun intended) and pain to make him believable and endlessly compelling.
Robin Lord Taylor, Gotham – Quite possibly one of the most underrated performances of the past several years. Just think about the legacy that comes along with the Oswald Cobblepot character and some of the pressure that comes with playing him. Then, think about how Taylor has managed to find a way to completely make this character his own, establishing unique mannerisms and an emotional center to bring a new level of moral complexity to him. He manages to both be an underdog and an enormous threat at the same time, and watching his Arkham storyline earlier this year was a fantastic window into this character’s soul, who he is, and who he still wants to be.
Jesse Williams, Grey’s Anatomy – What do you do when you lose your sense of self? Playing characters amidst an identity crisis can be really challenging as an actor, since you have few reliable touchstones and you have to find a way to reach an audience who may also struggle to find them. This is not the same Jackson Avery we had a few years back; he’s struggling with the notion of his faith, his conflicted feelings towards April’s new marriage, his family legacy, and also a relationship that is still somewhat new and has serious problems to address. While it’s easy to have frustrations at times with Jackson the character, that’s understandable — it may actually be perfect, as Williams has brilliantly taken on this man who is trying to stay afloat and understand why he is the person that he is.
Other critical favorites
Keep your eyes out during the campaign for some other candidates including Henry Winkler (Barry), Brian Tyree Henry (Atlanta), Sean Hayes (Will & Grace), Edgar Ramirez (The Assassination of Gianni Versace), and Justin Hartley (This Is Us).