Emmys spotlight: Owen Wilson is the heart of ‘Loki’
Owen Wilson sparked a flurry of excitement when it was announced he was joining the MCU in a key role in the Disney+ series “Loki.” He quickly became a fan favorite thanks to his typically charming turn as Mobius M. Mobius, a TVA Agent who ended up working with Loki (Tom Hiddleston) to take down the big bad behind his own organization. Wilson returned in the second season of “Loki” and reunited with Hiddleston once again, delivering a great duo and another effortlessly captivating performance.
Wilson isn’t just a fan favorite, however. He’s also a critics darling.
Kirsten Howard (Den of Geek) proclaimed: “For me, much of this episode’s breezy success is down to Wilson’s banter with the rest of the cast. From the jet ski chatter, to the cringe-worthy fumbling as he tries to remember OB, and in particular, the moment he writes ‘SKIN?’ in the dust of the temporal loom control room (big ‘Wanted’ vibes from this loom cobblers btw). There’s no scene too wild that Wilson’s easy demeanor can’t bring us back to earth, even as Natalie Holt’s incredible score seeks to weave its surreal aural tapestry.”
Johnny Loftus (Decider) observed: “‘Loki’s’ dynamic visual aesthetic acts as a backstop to its terrific cast, who have a lot of fun bouncing phrases that have no end and no beginning off of each other… Owen Wilson is doing Owen Wilson – doesn’t he always? – but he works wonders with Mobius, who is jaded as hell but still a believer in people.”
Brian Tallerico (Roger Ebert) noted: “It also helps to have one of the best casts in the MCU. Hiddleston is having a blast and proves to be a perfect partner for Wilson, who brings a nice degree of melancholy to a character who doesn’t want to know anything about alternate timelines because there’s nothing to be gained by the regret of unfulfilled happiness.”
Wilson is a beloved movie star in Hollywood and has Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe, SAG, and WGA nominations to his name. This year, he could well reap the first Emmy nomination of his long career. Plenty of movie stars of his calibre have contended for Best Drama Supporting Actor in recent years, including Alexander Skarsgård (“Succession”), Christopher Walken (“Severance”), and Jon Voight (“Ray Donovan”).
Wilson’s co-star Quan is also angling for a nomination in this category. But rather than that being a negative, it has been a plus with Emmy voters. They love citing two or more actors from the same show in this race. Each of the last six years has seen shows with at least two of the cast nominated in this category.
Examples include John Turturro and Walken (“Severance”), O Yeong-su and Park Hae-soo (“Squid Game”), Matthew Macfadyen, Nicholas Braun, and Kieran Culkin (“Succession”), and O.T. Fagbenle, Bradley Whitford, and Max Minghella (“The Handmaid’s Tale”). And last year, both “The White Lotus” (F. Murray Abraham, Theo James, Will Sharpe, and Michael Imperioli) and “Succession” (Alan Ruck, Skarsgård, Macfadyen, and Braun) scored four bids apiece.
Wilson also has the might of the House of the Mouse behind him. Since Disney started rolling out these high-end TV shows, they’ve reaped multiple Emmy bids, including plenty for the performers. Giancarlo Esposito, Timothy Olyphant, and Carl Weathers were all nominated for “The Mandalorian” while Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, and Kathryn Hahn picked up bids for “WandaVision.”
He’d also be part of the growing trend of actors in this category reaping bids for genre projects such as sci-fi, fantasy, or horror shows. Michael K. Williams (“Lovecraft Country”), Esposito (“The Mandalorian”), Jeffrey Wright (“Westworld”), David Harbour (“Stranger Things”), and “Game of Thrones” quarter Peter Dinklage, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Alfie Allen, and Kit Harington have all been nominated for such shows.
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