Every year, certain performers seem destined for awards recognition—already anointed by other awards bodies or pegged as sure things by prognosticators. But for this year's Actor Awards (formerly the SAG Awards), it would behoove voters to look beyond the obvious choices and consider actors flying under the radar, whether because they lack the highest profiles or appear in shows not widely viewed as contenders. Here are six of our favorites.
Malin Akerman
“The Hunting Wives”
When Rebecca Perry Cutter’s whodunit debuted on Netflix this summer, it became a sensation thanks to its lurid tale of murder and horny Red State women. But you can credit much of its success to Akerman (“Billions”), who seems to be having the time of her life playing Margo Banks, the sensual wife of an oilman (Dermot Mulroney).
The actor leans into the show’s camp material with a heavy Texas accent and a seductive posture that makes it easy to understand why newcomer Sophie O’Neil (Brittany Snow) is pulled into her orbit despite Sophie’s left-wing tendencies. Even when Margo’s mask slips to reveal her rougher beginnings, Akerman remains captivating to watch, carrying this binge-watch with her sly smile.
Nathan Fielder
“The Rehearsal”
One of the central questions surrounding Fielder’s brilliant HBO series is: How much is he actually acting? The comedian is clearly playing a version of himself on this high-concept show; Season 2 finds him trying to prevent airplane crashes by solving communication problems between airline pilots. But the show is also about acting itself—and he is taking part in his own method, one that suggests that people should rehearse their interactions before, say, taking the controls of a 767 aircraft.
There are moments when Fielder literally transforms himself, like on the surreal episode “Pilot’s Code,” when he portrays real-life pilot Chesley Sullenberger; but the constructed persona of Nathan Fielder is just as compelling, drawing the audience in and making us question who really is in front of the camera.
Sabrina Impacciatore
“The Paper”
Impacciatore, a breakout on Season 2 of “The White Lotus,” has parlayed that into an opportunity to prove her comedy chops on Greg Daniels and Michael Koman’s Peacock series “The Paper,” a spinoff of “The Office” centered on a struggling local newspaper in Toledo, Ohio. The Italian actor may seem like an odd fit for the show, but she ends up giving one of the year’s funniest performances.
She plays Esmeralda Grand, a brash editor who loves clickbait and finds her job at stake when the idealistic Ned Sampson (Domhnall Gleeson) is hired as editor-in-chief. Esmeralda is inherently a ridiculous character, but Impacciatore enhances every line reading with her overenunciations and absurdist physicality—turning even the most mundane words into comic gold.
Credit: John P. Fleenor/Peacock
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Emilia Jones
“Task”
Brad Ingelsby’s HBO series about crime in Pennsylvania’s Delaware County (aka “Delco”) will likely draw awards attention for Mark Ruffalo’s weary FBI agent or Tom Pelphrey’s sympathetic robber. But don’t forget about Jones as Maeve, the resourceful niece of Pelphrey’s complicated criminal. Known for her turn in the Oscar-winning “CODA,” the British actor nails the unmistakable Delco accent, but her performance goes far deeper.
Maeve is forced into an impossible situation by her uncle, caring for a child (Ben Lewis Doherty) he inadvertently kidnaps; and while she’s understandably frustrated by this new role, her wise-beyond-her-years maternal instincts and toughness take over. Jones brings genuine tenderness to a character just trying to muddle through the muck of her life.
Will Sharpe
“Too Much”
If you just knew Sharpe from his turn on Season 2 of HBO’s “The White Lotus,” as a tech guy stuck in a complicated marriage, you were probably not prepared for his work on “Too Much,” the Netflix miniseries from “Girls” creator Lena Dunham and her husband, Luis Felber. The British actor plays Felix Remen, a quirky musician who falls quickly for American transplant Jessica Salmon (Megan Stalter).
Sharpe makes Felix a Hugh Grant rom-com lead for a new era, with his adorable rants about biscuits and his off-kilter, somewhat goth style. Being charming is essential for a part like this, but Sharpe also adds layers of depth to this onetime prep school kid, who is still haunted by the posh trappings of his former life.
Courtesy Netflix
Owen Thiele
“Adults”
Thiele had a breakout year, appearing on two new comedies about Youths Today: Prime Video’s “Overcompensating” and FX’s “Adults.” He’s hilarious on both, but he’s the heart and soul of “Adults,” Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw’s hangout sitcom about a group of Gen Zers who live in their friend’s parents’ house in Queens.
As Anton, Thiele plays a guy who’s warm, friendly, and chatty, but also wildly emotionally repressed. He makes friends with everybody he meets—including, at one point, a criminal on the loose—but is afraid to get close to a romantic partner. As he delves into these insecurities, Thiele is so endearing that he makes Anton easy to love.
