CarterMatt Awards 2019: Caity Lotz, Sophie Skelton, Dominique Tipper, Daniela Ruah among Underrated Actress nominees
Today we’re discussing Underrated Actress — Like with Underrated Actor, this category features performers who often don’t get the recognition they deserve, no matter how great they are or how solid the show is around them. The only criteria that we have here is that these performers need to be a part of a show that airs within the calendar year 2019, and that they cannot have been nominated for either a Golden Globe or Emmy in the past 12 months.
Now, let’s get to sharing the Underrated Actress nominees…
Caity Lotz, Legends of Tomorrow – Every good ship needs its captain, and some of the best ones often go without praise. We want to make sure that doesn’t happen here to Caity Lotz as Sara Lance. She’s the driving force of Legends of Tomorrow and she’s been able to guide this show with commitment, humor, risk-taking, and also an incredible amount of vulnerable. Her work in “The Eggplant, the Witch & the Wardrobe” is some of 2019’s best.
Amybeth McNulty, Anne with an E – Back before the CBC/Netflix series launched, there were legitimate questions as to how this adaptation would stand up. As it turns out, it’s been perfect for the modern era with plenty of heart, drama, and character development. McNulty’s performance is one of the reasons why the series was as good as it is — she brings you a relatable point of a view and touches our hearts in a meaningful way.
Candice Patton, The Flash – The writers gave Patton arguably her most challenging material yet in 2019 — she had to portray Iris as a woman preparing for the worst. You want to have hope that Barry will find a way to survive, but you also don’t want to present false hope. There was so much nuance in every scene, but also so much love and care. This was the season where all of Patton’s work over the past five years came to full fruition.
Daniela Ruah, NCIS: Los Angeles – Like her co-star/Underrated Actor nominee Eric Christian Olsen, we think Ruah’s getting a chance to do some of her best work here in season 11. Take, for example, that emotional scene in the 250th episode … and there may be some other great stuff still to come. While Daniela is more than capable of taking on the action-heroine part of Kensi’s personality, there’s a special magic from her when the character gets to shine in vulnerable scenes.
Danielle Rose Russell, Legacies – Hope may be one of The CW’s most complicated characters. Think about it — her father was Klaus, she’s been at a school full of supernatural beings, there are prospective love interests all over the place, and for the first part of season 2 she was totally forgotten. How you contend with all of that is remarkable, and Russell did a fantastic job of giving Hope stability and guiding her through so many challenges. She made this impossible, supernatural situation believable.
Caterina Scorsone, Grey’s Anatomy – Scorsone is a former winner of this award, and for good reason. All of her scenes as Amelia Shepherd are top-notch, as she’s delivered one powerful moment after the next. Yet, in the midst of some of these it’s also been nice to access a more lighthearted side to the character thanks to her relationship with Link … but we already have a feeling more drama is coming in 2020.
Sophie Skelton, Outlander – Skelton may not have had that many episodes to shine in 2019, but she made the most of every second as we saw the culmination of Brianna’s season 4 journey. She was forced to confront her own trauma, deal with the consequences of Jamie’s actions, and also forge her own way forward despite Jocasta’s insistence that she marry one of her desired candidates. Skelton continues to turn Bree into a force, a magnetic character worth watching every second.
Dominique Tipper, The Expanse – Finally, we turn to Tipper’s portrayal of Naomi Nagata, a story rich character who is smart, shrewd, capable, but also still very much human. As a performer, Tipper makes Naomi into someone you feel like you could know — you understand her decision-making and your heart breaks for her when things go south. Dominique makes the most of every scene she’s in, and with a season 5 coming even beyond season 4’s launch this month, there is so much more to come.
Photo: Starz