One of the hottest races at the Emmys is the category for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. Last year’s race was between five actresses that could have easily gone any way. Kate Winslet ended up winning for her performance for Mare of Easttown, but the race had Emmy prognosticators guessing until the very end. This year’s race might be a little more concrete when looking at the possible nominees, but it should still prove to be an exciting competition.
Out in front is Amanda Seyfried for her performance as Elizabeth Holmes in Hulu’s hit limited series The Dropout. Seyfried has received much critical acclaim for her performance and voice-work in the series, putting her in the frontrunner position and likely grabbing her first Emmy nomination in the process. Behind her is recent Oscar winner Jessica Chastain, who will be in competition for her performance opposite Oscar Isaac in HBO’s Scenes from a Marriage. Chastain, like Seyfried, will be in the race attempting to receive her first ever Emmy nomination. The afterglow effect of her Oscar win should easily put her in this category. Margaret Qualley is in the running to receive her second Emmy nomination (and first lead) this year for Netflix’s Maid, which made waves last October when it was released (mostly critical praise for Qualley’s down to Earth portrait of a lower-class single mother). These three actresses should be considered the highest possibility of being nominated.
This doesn’t mean there isn’t competition coming from other shows. Showtime’s got three actresses in the race for The First Lady, including Viola Davis, Gillian Anderson and Michelle Pfeiffer. Will the Showtime series be able to secure any nominations after critics dismissed the performances (aside from Pfeiffer)? Davis and Anderson are both previous Emmy winners, which keeps them in the conversation. Another Emmy winner that will be in the race this year is Claire Foy, who stars in Prime Video’s A Very British Scandal. The series didn’t receive much attention when it premiered, but being a previous Emmy winner (much like Viola Davis and Gillian Anderson) will make her name pop on the ballots when they’re sent out. Oscar winner Renée Zellweger seeks to earn her first ever Emmy nomination this year for her work in NBC’s The Thing About Pam, the network’s highest-rated freshman series of the 2021–2022 television season. Being an Oscar winner will help Zellweger’s case when it comes to casting votes, but could the ratings of the show push her to an Emmy nom?
Here are my Emmy predictions for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.
Look out for: Viola Davis – The First Lady (Showtime); Anne Hathaway – WeCrashed (Hulu); Gillian Anderson – The First Lady (Showtime); Julia Roberts – Gaslit (Starz)
Photo: Ricardo Hubbs/Netflix
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