Emmys 2019: Joshua Jackson, Richard Rankin, Joe Mantegna, Peter Dinklage among Supporting Actor – Drama picks
Today, we are spotlighting one of the busiest categories out there — Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. If you think that the Actor in a Drama Series category is a little bit busy, just wait until you see this one. It’s a reminder of just how much television there is out there, and how difficult it can sometimes be to stand out in the middle of it — most shows have at least a couple of performers, if not more, who are in contention here. Yet, a part of the exciting challenge here is narrowing down the field and then trying to single out what makes each one of them special.
Below, you can see our choices for this category — following the description of our “nominees,” you can find the poll to vote for your favorite. (We’re also including some other popular contenders within that poll to widen the field — Justin Hartley from This Is Us, Jonathan Banks from Better Call Saul, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau from Game of Thrones.)
Voting Rules – Voting will remain open until Monday, July 15 at 1:00 p.m. Pacific time, which is the day before the official nominations are announced. The length of the poll coincides with both Emmy campaigns and lead-up to the official nominations being announced. You can vote however often you’d like; for more technical information if you’re having issues, check out the bottom of this article.
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones – It’s still crazy to think about the idea of this being the best season for Dinklage on Game of Thrones, but ultimately that may be the case. In between everything from his powerful work alongside Kit Harington to his speech in front of all of Westeros’ leaders at the end, we saw a thoughtful, perceptive side to Tyrion Lannister that surpasses everything that we have seen to date. This is an iconic character brought to life (and completed) by an iconic actor.
Joshua Jackson, The Affair – Season 4 may be the last time you see a substantial amount of Jackson as Cole, but in this season, he brought you a story that was introspective, emotionally devastating, and centered around a man trying to feel a little less lost. Hence, his journey to Morro Bay, or his quest for answers and some sort of understanding after what happened to Allison. Jackson’s performance was effective in helping you understand Cole’s demons, but also the complicated emotions at the core of this series.
Joe Mantegna, Criminal Minds – With us nearing the final season of the show, isn’t it high time to recognize the legendary actor for his steady hand and nuanced performance as David Rossi? He’s so subtle and understated at times, but Mantegna puts his all into making sure that you understand who Rossi is, whether it be his devotion to his job, his love for new wife Krystall, or the challenge of taking on a criminal who gets away. Season 14 brought you the highs and lows of this character, and allowed you to fully understand the light and dark corners of his mind.
Richard Rankin, Outlander – By far, one of the most physically-taxing roles of the year. Just look at so much of the torment Rankin went through within the final episodes of season 4. We’ve seen a happier side of Roger before on the Starz drama, but season 4 delivered one whallop of pain and heartache after the next. Because of Richard’s investment in making all of Roger’s moments feel real, it allowed for the reunion at the end of the season to be all the happier. It felt earned. He made sure that Roger was flawed in the right moments, determined in others, and willing to do whatever he could to survive.
Richard Schiff, The Good Doctor – Survival was also a theme for Schiff as Dr. Aaron Glassman through season 2, as his cancer battle took up a significant stretch of the story. It would have been easy for all of Glassman’s story to be filled with this, but instead, the writers recognized Schiff’s capacity to bring so much more to this character amidst the pain. That’s why we saw the romantic arc, and why we also saw him continue to deepen his friendship with Shaun and be in a position where he recognized how okay it was to be vulnerable. The series is better for it.
Joseph Sikora, Power – The fifth season for Power proved itself once more to be a fantastic character study about brotherhood, betrayal, and what happens when you lose much of what you love and understand. Sikora’s Tommy Egan is not an agent of chaos — he’s a product of his surroundings, his family, and the sorrow that he feels. He’s found himself increasingly on the outside looking in of a world he once knew, and the performance in season 5 allowed ourselves a window into ever-escalating frustration, one that led to a shocking moment with Angela in the finale.
Hisham Tawfiq, The Blacklist – One of the biggest challenges for any actor is to make a lot out of sometimes a little; that’s been the challenge for Tawfiq for the entirety of this series. Think back to early season 1 episodes, where he often had to carry a performance with just a line or two of dialogue. In season 6, the role of Dembe expanded more than ever and packed in there more emotion and nuance than we’ve seen. Dembe is still not exactly verbose; it is Tawfiq’s facial expressions and understanding of this character that make every move impactful. The reaction to his temporary exit in this season is the real restatement to the power of this performance and how we linger on every word he does say.
Photo: Starz