8 minute read
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
UZO ADUBA ON “IN TREATMENT”
FYC: Female Actor in a Drama Series
THE TALENTED WOMEN IN DRAMA SERIES WE’VE
included for your consideration make it hard to pick favorites. We suppose that’s an awards nominator’s job, but how could anyone whittle this list of contenders down to just five SAG Award nominees? Here are this year’s worthiest dramatic performances from women on TV.
Uzo Aduba
“In Treatment”
“Therapy doesn’t have a target audience. Everyone can benefit,” says psychologist Dr. Brooke Taylor. The same can be said of Aduba’s magnetic performance on this HBO reboot. Watching both the performer and the character parse the complexities and dubious choices of her patients, and eventually herself, can provide actors with a multilayered lesson on how to truly listen.
Jennifer Aniston
“The Morning Show”
Aniston’s leading turn on Jay Carson and Kerry Ehrin’s “The Morning Show” is a fantastic return to form—and to TV. The executive producer and star of the Apple TV+ series humanizes power-hungry TV host Alex Levy (her ruthlessness is pushed to the limit on Season 2) without sacrificing comedic timing.
Christine Baranski
“The Good Fight”
Diane Lockhart, everyone’s favorite chunky necklace–wearing power attorney, continues to slay in and out of the courtroom; the diva playing her proves increasingly unafraid of pushing the character’s flaws to the forefront. For edgy feminist inspiration or tips on how to deliver a speech that will flatten any scene partner, visit literally any moment of Baranski’s fabulous performance on the Paramount+ critical hit.
Ann Dowd
“The Handmaid’s Tale”
Dowd has been delivering great performances for the better part of three decades, but her Emmywinning turn on Hulu’s dystopian drama remains a career high. As devastating overseer Aunt Lydia, she creates a heady mix of blunt force and for-your-owngood tenderness that does what exquisite acting can: humanize a story’s most ruthless villain.
QUEEN LATIFAH AND LAYA DELEON HAYES ON “THE EQUALIZER”
Queen Latifah
“The Equalizer”
Latifah has always kicked ass in a staggering array of artistic ventures, but never this literally. As Robyn McCall, the first female iteration of the titular role on CBS’ action-drama reboot, bad guys run from her. The producer-star nails the steeliness required of a TV network detective and continually ratchets up the story’s tension. Still, she never fails to toss in that classic Latifah flourish.
Julianna Margulies
“The Morning Show”
Can anyone blend traditional femininity with ironclad toughness better than Margulies? She cranks both up to 11 in her thrilling Season 2 “Morning Show” arc as Laura Peterson, a cool-as-a-cucumber news anchor with absolutely nothing to prove. It seems like everyone around her, particularly Reese Witherspoon’s Bradley, could stand to take a page out of her book. Margulies’ self-assuredness is effortlessly magnetic.
Simone Missick
“All Rise”
What makes Judge Lola Carmichael such a wonderful presence on network TV is her relatability; thanks to the versatile Missick, the character can both be taken seriously and appreciated as a bit of a goofball. Leading the (COVID-19 safety–compliant!) courtroom workplace drama as a likable, flawed, modern-day woman, Missick shines, particularly whenever Lola’s progressive ideals are at odds with the all-too-real American justice system.
Indya Moore
“Pose”
You can’t tear your eyes away from Angel. When she’s feeling fabulous, like the world is her oyster, she knows it. But struggling to survive on the streets of New York City—let alone to make it as a transgender model—diminishes her inner light enough to shatter your heart. Capturing both her dreaminess and stubbornness, Moore knows exactly when and how to adjust that light.
Mandy Moore
“This Is Us”
Moore is effortlessly charming and natural as matriarch Rebecca Pearson, and hers has become a long-running TV performance whose subtlety could be taken for granted. The actor’s awards recognition is overdue, considering the ease with which she plays multiple ages (more than any other actor on the Dan Fogelman series) and her skill at finding where “loving” and “overbearing” overlap in motherhood.
Elisabeth Moss
“The Handmaid’s Tale”
Peering out from between the bone-white wings of her handmaid’s bonnet, Moss takes on the role of a lifetime, navigating the despair of an oppressive
ELISABETH MOSS ON “THE HANDMAID’S TALE”
ROSAMUND PIKE ON “THE WHEEL OF TIME” MICHAELA JAÉ RODRIGUEZ ON “POSE”
How I Got My SAG Card:
Angela Bassett
dystopian world with dignity and a wickedly dark sense of humor. The Emmy-winning produceractor is at her most subtle when the stakes are highest, and watching her handle the pitfalls of the distressingly tangible Gilead remains revelatory.
Rosamund Pike
“The Wheel of Time”
Whether it’s her naturally steely demeanor or her ability to deliver portentous proclamations, Pike is the perfect fit for Moiraine Damodred, one of the badass women from Robert Jordan’s beloved “Wheel of Time” books. How did it take this long for someone to cast her as a spellfiring witch? Pike’s performance on the buzzy fantasy series reminds us that great acting is great acting, enhancing any genre.
Michaela Jaé Rodriguez
“Pose”
If you’re playing a character whom you want your audience to fall in love with, study how Rodriguez interacts with her scene partners on “Pose.” The sheer amount of emotional lifting she must do as emerging house mother Blanca RodriguezEvangelista on FX’s gorgeously detailed AIDS-era drama proves she can take on any role. A lesser actor would buckle under the pressure of uplifting those around her without resorting to cheesiness.
Sarah Snook
“Succession”
A modern-day “King Lear” with deliciously dark humor, this satire about a family running a global media empire needs characters that feel like real people. Amid all the greedy scheming, performers like Snook are responsible for reminding us that even billionaires can be vulnerable. As Shiv Roy, she walks the line between soulless and secretly thin-skinned.
SUSAN KELECHI WATSON ON “THIS IS US”
JENNIFER ANISTON, BILLY CRUDUP, AND REESE WITHERSPOON ON “THE MORNING SHOW”
Yvonne Strahovski
“The Handmaid’s Tale”
What is she thinking? It’s the question begging to be answered on nearly every episode of “The Handmaid’s Tale”—not of the show’s protagonist, Moss’ June, but of her at-times keeper, at-times compatriot Serena Joy Waterford, played with agonizing restraint by Strahovski. These two women depict either side of the same oppressive coin and create one of TV’s most compelling onscreen dynamics.
Susan Kelechi Watson
“This Is Us”
Beth Pearson has become the glue that holds this beloved multigenerational family together. The character’s growing nuance, five seasons in, surely has everything to do with Watson’s work on the hit network drama. She is funny, warm, fierce, and restrained in every scene, especially opposite Sterling K. Brown; they play TV’s most realistic and relatable onscreen couple.
Rutina Wesley
“Queen Sugar”
This Oprah Winfrey Network family melodrama from Ava DuVernay should be commended for giving its actors compelling material for six solid seasons— and molding it to fit the times. Through the New Orleans–dwelling Bordelons, led by Wesley’s Nova, audiences can sort out their own political and emotional viewpoints on COVID-19, George Floyd’s death, and much more. Wesley delivers big emotions without going broad, and we instinctively trust her.
Reese Witherspoon
“The Morning Show”
Most actors would kill for just one of Bradley Jackson’s “Morning Show” monologues, full of righteous fury and sarcasm so sharp it could cut you; Witherspoon gets several per episode. The producer-actor plays Bradley with just enough naiveté to get us on the rising news anchor’s side amid the show’s shifting power dynamics. Her chemistry with Aniston positively crackles.
“ONE OF THE BEST NEW SERIES OF 2021.
A standout for its relevant subject matter, sharp, clever writing and the absolutely extraordinary cast.”
Holland Taylor gives possibly the most gorgeous performance in her legendary career.”
FOR YOUR SAG AWARDS® CONSIDERATION
