Emmys spotlight: Kelvin Harrison Jr. is captivating as King in ‘Genius: MLK/X’
Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Aaron Pierre turn in sublime leading performances in National Geographic’s latest season of “Genius,” and could both reap their first Emmy nominations.
“Genius” explores the inner lives of some of history’s most prominent and important people, with past seasons focusing on Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso, and Aretha Franklin. This fourth edition depicts the personal lives of both Martin Luther King Jr. (Harrison) and Malcolm X (Pierre). Harrison captured the cadence and essence of MLK while also providing a fresh new look at one of the most explored figures in human history, as noted by critics.
M. N. Miller (Geek Vibes Nation) observed: “There are some beautiful things in the series. In particular, the performance of Kelvin Harrison, Jr.. The young actor has been a standout in recent years with films like ‘Luce’ and ‘Chevalier.’ He brings MLK to light as a humble everyman while still recognizing his shortcomings. It’s a marvel to watch this young man go from a stoic family man to delivering lines with the same eloquence and power as the man himself.”
Aramide Tinubu (Variety) opined: “It’s always burdensome to portray well-known figures. Yet, Harrison Jr. and Pierre are more than up for the task. The actors have mastered the cadence of the activists’ speech, gait and even their projecting of the fear and paranoia that comes with living under surveillance, and the constant threat of violence. Stepping beyond the outward stoicism the men displayed to the world, the joys of new love, ice cream and the tenderness of fatherhood are abundant here. In the careful hands of these actors, Malcolm X and Dr. King become tangible.”
Ronda Racha Penrice (The Wrap) explained: “They weren’t just freedom fighters who are now icons, but full men who lived as sons, brothers, husbands and fathers, not to mention followers and leaders. To that end, Harrison and Pierre give unbelievable performances… their overall portrayals show so much commitment to get it right that it’s easy to overlook or forgive. Clearly, Harrison has studied every King mannerism and breath.”
As a result, Harrison could continue the trend of “Genius” scoring a lead acting bid for every season of the anthology show so far. Geoffrey Rush (“Einstein”), Antonio Banderas (“Picasso”), and Cynthia Erivo (“Aretha Franklin”) were all nominated for their star turns, so it would make sense for Harrison (and possibly Pierre, too) to follow.
You might think that the fact that Pierre competing for a bid here alongside his co-star could hurt his or both of their chances, but that isn’t the case. Emmy voters have often nominated two men from the same show in this category of Best TV Movie/Limited Series Actor, including Lin-Manuel Miranda and Leslie Odom Jr. (“Hamilton”), Riz Ahmed and John Turturro (“The Night Of”), Courtney B. Vance and Tom Hiddleston (“The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story”), and Martin Freeman and Billy Bob Thornton (“Fargo”). Pierre and Harrison could be the latest duo to both earn citations here.
This particular Emmy category often nominates actors for portraying real people, too, including Sebastian Stan (“Pam & Tommy”), Colin Firth (“The Staircase”), Ewan McGregor (“Halston”), Sam Rockwell (“Fosse/Verdon”), and Hugh Grant (“A Very English Scandal”). In fact, five of last year’s six nominees were cited for depicting real people: Daniel Radcliffe (“Weird: The Al Yankovic Story”), Michael Shannon (“George & Tammy”), Evan Peters (“Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”), Taron Egerton (“Black Bird”), and Kumail Nanjiani (“Welcome to Chippendales”); the other nominee was Steven Yeun (“Beef”).
Emmy voters love to nominate performers in this category who play major, important historical figures such as Lin-Manuel Miranda and Leslie Odom Jr. as Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, respectively, (“Hamilton”), Bryan Cranston as Lyndon B. Johnson (“All the Way”), Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell (“Wolf Hall”), Clive Owen as Ernest Hemingway (“Hemingway & Gelhorn”), and Greg Kinnear and Barry Pepper as John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy (“The Kennedys”).
And, to get even more specific, several actors have been nominated for major awards for portraying MLK. David Oyelowo was nominated at the Golden Globes for Best Drama Actor for Ava DuVernay‘s 2014 movie “Selma.” On the TV side of things, Paul Winfield was nominated for Best TV Movie/Limited Series Actor for his work in the 1978 miniseries “King.”
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