The nominees for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series at the 2022 Primetime Emmy Awards are an impressive list. The eight nominees only span across 3 different streaming services: HBO, Apple TV, and Netflix. Two of this year’s nominees have received their first-ever Emmy nomination, while the other six have already added the accolade to their resumes. This year, in the category for Best Supporting Actor, a first-time Emmy winner is the likely choice to take home the award.
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Nicholas Braun has received a second Emmy nomination for his role as Cousin Greg in HBO’s Succession. Cousin Greg has become a fan favorite in the HBO series and Braun’s nomination comes as little surprise. Braun’s mundane character is a notable standout amidst the chaos of the Roy family and is often the source of some of the much-needed comedic relief within the series. Despite the success of Cousin Greg on and off-screen, Braun isn’t the candidate that is likely to score the Emmy this year.
Billy Crudup is the only nominee in this category to have previously won the award. Crudup is also the only nominee in the category from The Morning Show this year. In 2020, Crudup scored the Emmy for his role as Cory Ellison in the Apple TV series, and this year, he hopes to repeat history. At the 2020 ceremony, Crudup won the award over fellow nominees Nicholas Braun, Kieran Culkin, and Matthew Macfadyen, who were all nominated for their Succession roles. This year, Crudup has stiff competition not only from the other actors in the category but in being the only nominee without a co-star in the running.
Kieran Culkin’s performance as Roman Roy in Succession has earned him countless nods. Culkin has received three Golden Globe nominations for his Succession role and was nominated at the 2020 Emmy Awards. Despite his engaging performance as the outlandish and provocative Roy, Culkin has seen little success in scoring awards that reflect that. Nonetheless, Culkin’s performance as Roman has unsurprisingly been noticed and nominated once again and while this may have been his year to win the Emmy, there is a chance that one of the newest series will claim the milestone first.
Park Hae-soo is a first-time Emmy nominee following his performance as Cho Sang-woo (no. 218) in Netflix’s Squid Game. Sang-woo is one of the most polarizing characters in the Netflix series, and Hae-soo’s performance has rightfully earned him an Emmy nomination. Despite the feelings some viewers had toward Sang-woo, the bittersweet end for the character gave Hae-soo a chance to display another facet of his talents. Like many others within the cast of Squid Game, Hae-soo had to give a comedic, dramatic, and ultimately gut-wrenching performance throughout the nine-episode series, giving him plenty of reasons to score the Emmy.
Matthew Macfadyen is the third and final Succession actor to be nominated for an Emmy in the Supporting Actor in a Drama category. This marks Macfadyen’s second Emmy nomination. Macfadyen plays Tom Wambsgans in the HBO drama and has made an impression in the dramatic comedy through his memorable one-liners and strange mentorship with Greg. Macfadyen can’t be counted out of the Emmy race this year, though a win may come a year too soon. Following the ending of Succession’s third season, there will likely be a tonal shift in Macfadyen’s character in season 4, which may be what he needs to score an Emmy.
John Turturro has earned an Emmy nomination for his role as Irving Bailiff in the Apple TV series Severance. This marks Turturro’s third Emmy nomination. In 2004, Turturro won his first and only Emmy for Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. In 2017, Turturro received his second nomination for Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for The Night Of. Thus far, Turturro has had an impressive year with the success of Severance and his role in The Batman, and could add Emmy winner to his exciting year.
Christopher Walken fittingly joins his Severance co-star John Turturro in the nominees for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Despite having one of the most recognizable names in Hollywood, this is only Walken’s second Emmy nomination. Walken’s only other nomination was over 30 years ago, when he received a nod for Outstanding Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for Sarah, Plain and Tall in 1991. This year, Walken finds himself nominated for his role as Burt Goodman in Severance. While Walken’s resume certainly doesn’t need the boost of adding Emmy winner to his list of accolades, it certainly wouldn’t hurt.
Oh Yeong-su joins his Squid Game co-star in the nominees for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Yeong-su gave one of the most compelling performances in the Netflix series as Oh Il-nam (No. 001), which ended with a shocking twist of his true connection to the twisted games. Earlier this year, Yeong-su won the 2022 Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor, beating fellow Emmy nominees Crudup and Culkin. Having already beaten some of his nominees, Yeong-su is a favorite heading into the September ceremony.
The winner of this year’s Primetime Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series will undoubtedly be one of the men winning the award for the first time. Despite having won the award two years ago, history is unlikely to repeat itself for Billy Crudup this year. Oh Yeong-su should be considered the front-runner to take home the Emmy in September, and given his success in competing against some of his fellow Emmy nominees helps prove that. Should Yeong-su find himself passed up for the award, Kieran Culkin or Matthew Macfadyen may achieve their first Emmy win after both were previously nominated in the category.
The winners of the 2022 Primetime Emmy Awards will be announced on September 12, 2022.
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