Will Imelda Staunton continue the Emmy-winning ways of ‘The Crown’?
One of the most noticeable omissions from the 2023 Emmy nominations was “The Crown” star Imelda Staunton, who was generally considered a safe bet since her predecessors in the role of Queen Elizabeth II – Claire Foy and Olivia Colman – had never failed to garner TV academy recognition. As she now seeks redemption in the form of a farewell win (just like Foy and Colman achieved in 2018 and 2021), multiple factors give her a better standing in the race compared to last year.
Based on the Emmy nominations predictions of over 2,000 Gold Derby users, Staunton is currently in second place behind Best Drama Actress frontrunner (and 2020 nominee) Jennifer Aniston (“The Morning Show”). At this time last year, Staunton was in the same spot (behind Melanie Lynskey of “Yellowjackets”), albeit with significantly longer odds (11/2 versus the present 4/1) and less than 7% of the top choice votes, whereas she currently holds 19%.
By the time the 2023 nominations were revealed, Staunton had fallen to fourth place in our ranking, partly because eventual champion Sarah Snook (“Succession”) switched from supporting to lead in late April. Snook was the seventh actress (and first in 27 years) to win this award for a final season performance, as Staunton is attempting to do now.
Staunton has truly been given a fresh start in that none of last year’s six nominees – nor any of the other drama lead actresses included in our 2023 predictions center – are in the running this time. Indeed, the only other past contenders she has to worry about are Aniston’s costar, Reese Witherspoon, and 2006 victor Mariska Hargitay (“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”), who are respectively in fifth and 12th place.
Given the love Emmy voters clearly had for Foy and Colman’s regal performances, it should work to Staunton’s advantage that she shared the screen with them several times during their show’s final season. Following each of their second year wins, both former series stars are more than likely set for a guest category showdown that could lead to one of them standing with Staunton in the winners circle, just as 2021 guest champ Foy joined Colman.
It also bodes well for Staunton that “The Crown” is comfortably leading the Best Drama Series and Supporting Actress races, whereas the show and featured player Elizabeth Debicki were respectively in fifth and fourth place at this time last year. Unlike Staunton’s, those two nominations came to fruition, but the awards were handily won by the now ineligible “Succession” and Jennifer Coolidge of “The White Lotus.”
Yet another bright spot in Staunton’s campaign is that she is currently our editors and experts’ predicted winner, which was not the case in 2023. Although our overall odds clearly favor Aniston, she could easily lose her spot to the departing queen by the time ballots are due.
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