It may still be called the small screen, but television is increasingly attracting big-name, big-screen (and stage) talent, as evidenced by this year’s list of impressive lead actor nominees, including Michael Douglas, Hugh Grant, Sam Rockwell, Benicio Del Toro, Mahershala Ali, Don Cheadle, Eugene Levy and Billy Porter.
So what do these nominees, some of whom are seeing their first-ever TV roles and Emmy accolades, feel they get from this medium’s experience that is missing from film?
For Grant, who scored his first-ever Emmy nom in the lead limited series/TV movie actor category for his nuanced performance as British Member of Parliament Jeremy Thorpe in Amazon Prime Video’s “A Very English Scandal,” it’s “all about the writing. You just tend to get the best writing in telly these days, with human beings talking to human beings, and recognizable human behavior,” he says, “while cinema now seems to be more and more about superheroes, monsters and avatars.”
“It gives you the opportunity to create a complex character that can really grow over time,” he says. “Instead of two hours, you get a whole season or more to delve into the psyche of the person. As they grow, as they live, as they face all of life’s challenges.”
Currently finishing the second season, Porter is already looking ahead: “I love the idea of the show going on for years, like watching life unfold.”
