On Sunday, September 19th, Pose actress MJ Rodriguez is poised to make history in the Leading Actress in a Drama category. If she does indeed win she will be the first transgender actress ever to take home a Leading Actress Emmy Award. Rodriguez has already cemented her place in Emmy history with her nomination.
However, if the critics and oddsmakers are right (and are they really ever right lol.) it looks like it will be an uphill battle as most see The Crown’s Emma Corwin’s transformative performance as the young, just married Princess Diana prevailing. But don’t count our girl out just yet. Let’s take a closer look at the women nominated in that category.
This year’s category is stacked with talent, with half of the women perennial Emmy nominees {23 nominations total} and the other half receiving their first nomination. Most of the entertainment outlets have already counted out anyone who already has an Emmy in this category.
UZO ADUBA – Aduba is on a hot streak at the Emmys, winning three times since 2014. She has been nominated a total of five times. She won most recently last year for her supporting turn as Shirley Chilsolm in Hulu’s Mrs. America. A win for In Treatment seems highly unlikely as the show itself does not have the buzz of many of the other shows nominated in this category, coupled with the fact as she just took home an award.
OLIVIA COLMAN – The Crown’s Queen Elizabeth makes a second consecutive appearance in this category. Nominated a total of four times Colman will probably go home empty-handed again as the major storyline of this season of The Crown was the introduction of Diana Spencer, who will marry Prince Charles, to become Diana, Princess of Wales.
ELISABETH MOSS – Emmy voters love Moss as she has been nominated a whopping 14 times, 10 for acting, four as producer. She took home two awards in 2017; one in this category and one as a producer of The Handmaids Tale. Voters could get the feeling that she and the show have been nominated and awarded enough and look elsewhere on the ballot.
JURNEE SMOLLETT – First-time nominee Smollett fought her way into this category with a powerhouse performance in HBO’s now-canceled Lovecraft Country. A first-time nominee, in a, now canceled show, the odds are not stacked in her favor. Voters will reward the show in other categories, with two wins already at last week’s Creative Arts Emmy ceremony.
And that leaves two.
EMMA CORRIN – The Crown seems unstoppable this year, look for the show and the cast to be major players throughout the night. Gillian Anderson is all but a lock for her Margaret Thatcher. Corrin already took home a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild award for her remarkable performance as the cherished people’s princess. Look for her on the podium tomorrow night. The only possible upset will be…
MJ RODRIGUEZ – If anyone has a shot of besting Corrin it’s the luminous Rodriguez, truly the heart and soul of the groundbreaking Pose. Long overdue for a nomination Rodriguez will carry the hopes of the entire cast, not to mention the entire queer community on her shoulders in the Microsoft Theater Sunday night. As the HIV-positive Blanca, mother to the House of Evangelista, Rodriguez was a revelation. Overall love for her, and the show, coupled with a history-making moment might just vault her past Corrin.
The 2021 Primetime Emmy Awards air on CBS, Sunday September 19th at 8pm.
{**This post is solely the opinion of this contributing writer and may not reflect the opinion of other writers, staff, or owners of Instinct Magazine.}
