Emmys spotlight: Cosmo Jarvis is a winning rogue in ‘Shōgun’
The new FX limited series “Shōgun” is a superb adaptation of James Clavell’s 1975 saga. Cosmo Jarvis plays John Blackthorne, an English sailor shipwrecked off the coast of Japan who is made captive to Hiroyuki Sanada‘s Lord Toranaga. The role was first played by Richard Chamberlain in the 1980 version of the story. Jarvis makes the character his own, delivering a bombastic, explosive portrayal of an opportunistic man who uncovers a new life in Japan. Critics agree that this relative newcomer’s take on the character outdoes Chamberlain.
Ross McIndoe (Slant Magazine) observed: “Roaring madly about those ‘damned papists’ and ripping off verbose insults in a throaty English accent, Jarvis bears a striking resemblance to Tom Hardy and has a similar knack for alternately playing his character as a bellowing beast of a man and a kind of soft-eyed gentleman-rogue.”
Kristen Baldwin (Entertainment Weekly) opined: “Jarvis delivers the confidence and arrogance Richard Chamberlain brought to the role 34 years ago, but the ‘Peaky Blinders’ star adds an additional layer of skepticism and wry humor to his John Blackthorne — especially in his befuddled reactions to life in this new world.”
James Delingpole (The Spectator) declared: “Cosmo Jarvis does it better in the new version on Disney+, helped by the fact that, like Drake, he is a Devonian (if Totnes counts), but mainly because he attacks the role with such rough-hewn gusto you can virtually smell the rancid sweat on his salt-encrusted jerkin.”
Jarvis is a strong contender for Best TV Movie/Limited Series Actor. You might think that the fact that he is competing for a bid here alongside his co-star Sanada could hurt their chances, but that isn’t the case. Emmy voters have often nominated two men from the same show in this category, 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”). Jarvis and Sanada could be the latest duo to both earn citations here.
Jarvis is also an up-and-coming star whose stock, thanks to “Shōgun,” is quickly rising. Emmy voters like to reward actors in breakout roles with bids in this category. Recent such nominees include Himesh Patel (“Station Eleven”), Jeremy Pope (“Hollywood”), Paul Mescal (“Normal People”), and Ahmed (“The Night Of”). At the time of their nominations, Patel and Ahmed were two young British actors who had appeared in several British TV shows and had gone on to become known by US audiences with the breakout shows they were nominated for. Jarvis fits that pattern, too.
Plus, Jarvis plays the most colorful character in the show. This helps him stand out in this extensive cast. Plenty of actors have earned nominations for similar roles before, including Daniel Radcliffe (“Weird: The Al Yankovic Story”), Ewan McGregor (“Halston”), and Bob Thornton (“Fargo”).
And Emmy voters love leading men in historical dramas in this category, with the likes of Miranda and Odom Jr. (“Hamilton”), Pope (“Hollywood”), Jared Harris (“Chernobyl”), and Mark Rylance (“Wolf Hall”) all earning nominations for such shows.
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