What a strange year it’s been at the awards.
Brie Larson won the Oscar for Best Actress for Room; Leslie Odom, Jr. won the Tony for Best Lead Actor in a Musical for Hamilton; and Courtney B. Vance just won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries/Movie for The People v. O.J. Simpson.
Why has it been so strange? Because each of those people won for roles that weren’t necessarily the leads of their pieces. Sure, they may have been leads, but not THE leads. The lead of a film, TV Show, or a play is usually the main character who anchors the story being told.
Who was the main character in Room? It was pretty much team comprising of Brie Larson & Jacob Tremblay. Who was the character in Hamilton? Alexander Hamilton, NOT Aaron Burr. Burr does narrate the story, but so does Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar and Che in Evita, and both of those characters have usually competed as Featured Actors at the Tonys. Who was the main character in The People v. O.J. Simpson? The series was pretty much an ensemble piece, but the central character was pretty much O.J. Simpson, and not Johnnie Cochran.
I’m surprised that those factors haven’t been a rap against nominees like that. Yet, no one cares because voters in each of those awards groups felt the co/secondary lead(s) gave the best performance(s). But with that being said, I still find it unfair to the actual leads who have to carry their whole stories on their backs.
Who I would’ve liked to see win the Oscar over Brie Larson? Saoirse Ronan for Brooklyn because she WAS that whole film. Her character was the one we the audience followed on a journey from beginning to end, and the performance was much more heartfelt.
Who I would’ve liked to see win the Tony over Leslie Odom, Jr.? Danny Burstein for Fiddler on the Roof, and not just because he’s overdue. After working on Broadway for over 20 years, he’s in the role of his life. He also carries an entire three-hour show on his back and was the heart and soul of the production.
Who I would’ve liked to see win the Emmy over Courtney B. Vance? Bryan Cranston for All the Way, regardless of the 6 Emmys he’s already won for Breaking Bad. He not only LED that TV movie, but gave much more of a transformative performance as LBJ (literally Daniel Day-Lewis level acting right there).
So what do you think? Does anyone agree with me? If you disagree with me, I’m not trying to get you to change your minds, I’m just giving my take on the subject.
Brie Larson won the Oscar for Best Actress for Room; Leslie Odom, Jr. won the Tony for Best Lead Actor in a Musical for Hamilton; and Courtney B. Vance just won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries/Movie for The People v. O.J. Simpson.
Why has it been so strange? Because each of those people won for roles that weren’t necessarily the leads of their pieces. Sure, they may have been leads, but not THE leads. The lead of a film, TV Show, or a play is usually the main character who anchors the story being told.
Who was the main character in Room? It was pretty much team comprising of Brie Larson & Jacob Tremblay. Who was the character in Hamilton? Alexander Hamilton, NOT Aaron Burr. Burr does narrate the story, but so does Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar and Che in Evita, and both of those characters have usually competed as Featured Actors at the Tonys. Who was the main character in The People v. O.J. Simpson? The series was pretty much an ensemble piece, but the central character was pretty much O.J. Simpson, and not Johnnie Cochran.
I’m surprised that those factors haven’t been a rap against nominees like that. Yet, no one cares because voters in each of those awards groups felt the co/secondary lead(s) gave the best performance(s). But with that being said, I still find it unfair to the actual leads who have to carry their whole stories on their backs.
Who I would’ve liked to see win the Oscar over Brie Larson? Saoirse Ronan for Brooklyn because she WAS that whole film. Her character was the one we the audience followed on a journey from beginning to end, and the performance was much more heartfelt.
Who I would’ve liked to see win the Tony over Leslie Odom, Jr.? Danny Burstein for Fiddler on the Roof, and not just because he’s overdue. After working on Broadway for over 20 years, he’s in the role of his life. He also carries an entire three-hour show on his back and was the heart and soul of the production.
Who I would’ve liked to see win the Emmy over Courtney B. Vance? Bryan Cranston for All the Way, regardless of the 6 Emmys he’s already won for Breaking Bad. He not only LED that TV movie, but gave much more of a transformative performance as LBJ (literally Daniel Day-Lewis level acting right there).
So what do you think? Does anyone agree with me? If you disagree with me, I’m not trying to get you to change your minds, I’m just giving my take on the subject.