Helen Mirren made a welcome return to TV with her stunning Western series “1923” opposite the inimitable Harrison Ford. The series is another show from Taylor Sheridan‘s Western world, which started off with Kevin Costner‘s “Yellowstone” and also includes the prequel “1883.”
This one is set in between those two shows and follows Mirren and Ford as married couple Cara and Jacob Dutton, who lead their family through a variety of challenges in the early 20th century, including the prohibition era and the Great Depression. As Cara, Mirren owns the screen with her Dame-like presence (she is actually a Dame, after all) and commands your attention in every scene she’s in. She’s introduced with a shotgun but doesn’t need such props to show what a powerful actress she is. She’s a force to be reckoned with, as usual, as critics have noted.
Max Gao (The AV Club) explained that both veteran actors “share a magnetic screen presence that can elevate ‘1923’ beyond another overwrought Western.” He wrote: “Cora feels more dynamic and emotionally accessible, with Mirren tapping into the matriarch’s quiet humanity and strength… Together, Ford and Mirren’s witty repartee even helps to add a few moments of levity in an otherwise taut and tense hour that attempts to juggle two other storylines that don’t really feel connected to the ranch but are arguably more compelling than spats over land rights.”
Joshua Alston (Variety) observed: “Mirren and Ford – both 80-ish, neither a stranger to action badassery – make for such a potent pairing, their chemistry alone is enough to make ‘1923’ feel like an elevated version of Sheridan’s neo-Western fare.”
Anita Singh (The Daily Telegraph) claimed: “Ford and Mirren have a comfortable chemistry as husband and wife, and Mirren’s character is an attractive blend of tough-as-old-boots, gun-toting cattle rancher and sympathetic matriarch.”
As such, Mirren finds herself on the precipice of another Emmy nomination, this time for Best Drama Actress. However, she is currently outside of our predicted six nominees for this category: Elisabeth Moss (“The Handmaid’s Tale”), Emma D’Arcy (“House of the Dragon”), Imelda Staunton (“The Crown”), Bella Ramsey (“The Last of Us”), Sarah Snook (“Succession”), and Melanie Lynskey (“Yellowjackets”). However, it would take a great fool to rule out Mirren from this race. Emmy voters adore her.
So far, she has won five Emmys. She first won for Best TV Movie/Limited Series Actress in 1996 for “Prime Suspect: The Scent of Darkness” and then won in the same category in 1999 for “The Passion of Ayn Rand.” She then won this category twice more — back to back in 2006 and 2007 for “Elizabeth I” and “Prime Suspect 7: The Final Act,” respectively. She also won a Children and Family Emmy in 2022 as Outstanding Host for “Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses.”
She’s been nominated a total of 12 times, so she is an Emmys darling through and through. They won’t hesitate to nominate her again if they can, and the combination of Mirren and Ford, who is also on the precipice of a bid, may be too tempting to ignore.
But her awards prowess doesn’t end there. She won an Oscar, BAFTA, SAG Award, Golden Globe, and Critics Choice Award in 2007 for “The Queen,” was awarded the BAFTA Fellowship in 2014, and was given the SAG Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022. On top of that, she has two more Golden Globe wins and 16 nominations in total; 13 SAG bids and and five SAG wins in total; 11 BAFTA nominations and four wins in total across film and TV; and three Oscar bids on top of win for “The Queen.” Plus, she won a Tony in 2015 for Best Actress in a Play for “The Audience” (she’s three quarters of the way to an EGOT).
In short, this is one of the most revered, decorated actresses out there. You can’t get any bigger a name than Dame Helen Mirren. And Emmy voters love big names — In recent years in the Best Drama Actress category, Olivia Colman won in 2021 for “The Crown” and Viola Davis was nominated in 2019 for “How to Get Away with Murder.” Meanwhile, in the Best TV Movie/Limited Series category, Kate Winslet won in 2021 for “Mare of Easttown,” Cate Blanchett was nominated in 2020 for “Mrs. America,” and Nicole Kidman won in 2017 for “Big Little Lies.” All three of those actresses are Oscar-winners, too, just like Mirren. Voters love an Oscar-winner.
Mirren also has support specifically for this performance in “1923.” She won the Critics Choice Super Award this year, demonstrating that she has both the necessary awards credentials as an actress overall and the needed support for this specific role. Mirren is also a veteran — voters will want to reward this actress, who is someone that a lot of voters will have been watching and admiring on screen for decades. She will be a hero to many of them and they will want to reward her again here, as they have done so many times in the past. Mirren may be too good a name to overlook for this award, so those predicted nominees, like Moss, D’Arcy, and Staunton, should watch out for this dame.
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