Jacob Sarkisian
·5 min read
EwanMcGregor has added another exquisite performance to his CV of contrasting characters thanks to his starring role in the Paramount+ limited series “A Gentleman in Moscow.” Based on Amor Towles‘ book of the same name and created by Ben Vanstone, “A Gentleman in Moscow” follows McGregor as Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov, an aristocrat who returns to Russia from Paris only to find himself living in a hotel attic for decades after the October Revolution.
McGregor is always wildly entertaining, possessing distinct charm and charisma, and he employs that to great effect once more here. However, his comic abilities are matched by his dramatic ones in “A Gentleman in Moscow,” as noted by critics.
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Christina Izzo (The AV Club) observed: “It’s smart casting, then, that showrunner Ben Vanstone (‘All Creatures Great And Small’) and the powers that be chose McGregor as the eponymous gentleman, replacing the originally cast Kenneth Branagh. McGregor’s Rostov has elements of Branaghian campiness—that twirled mustache looks plucked straight off Poirot’s face and is complemented by a similarly over-the-top permed ’do—but all that initial extravagance and exaggeration is softened by the actor’s sincere eyes and easy charm… it’s McGregor’s sentimental yet sophisticated turn that ultimately keeps the dance going… McGregor delicately guides the Count through the country’s many political changes and the character’s own internal revolutions, from entitled dandy to devoted dad, and in the process conceives a fine Russian gentleman indeed.”
David Opie (Empire) opined: “An aristocrat forced to languish in the world’s most opulent prison, he could have been a rather unsympathetic figure, but Ewan McGregor’s magnetic performance doesn’t give you even a second to consider that. Showrunner Ben Vanstone has struck gold with a lead as talented and charming as McGregor, rarely on finer form than he is here. Tonally, the show is a big ask, blending bleak historical realism with cosy Sunday-night-style viewing, but McGregor balances these shifts with natural ease… McGregor’s Count who makes the show worth watching.”
Joel Keller (Decider) explained: “McGregor has been around long enough for us to not be surprised by such a performance; for three decades, he’s shown himself to be able to handle light material as well as dark. But with Rostov, he has to handle both at once, often in the same scene. His wistfulness over not being able to leave can happen right before a funny interaction with Nina, or his regret over a role in a duel can affect him right after he has an interesting experience at the barber shop. He makes an oligarch into a sympathetic figure, one who grows and changes with his imprisonment, and that’s awfully tough to pull off.”
Our current predicted nominees for Best TV Movie/Limited Series Actor are Jon Hamm (“Fargo”), Andrew Scott (“Ripley”), Richard Gadd (“Baby Reindeer”), Tom Hollander (“Feud: Capote vs the Swans”), Matt Bomer (“Fellow Travelers”), and Tony Shalhoub (“Mr. Monk’s Last Case”). However, don’t rule out Emmy-favorite McGregor, who has five prior bids to his name.
He was first nominated in 1997 — for Best Drama Guest Actor for “ER.” He was then nominated for Outstanding Narrator in 2017 for “Highlands: Scotland’s Wild Heart.” That same year, he was cited for Best TV Movie/Limited Series Actor for “Fargo.” In 2021, he won his first Emmy for his leading role in the limited series “Halston.” He was also nominated for Best Limited Series in 2023 as a producer on “Obi-Wan Kenobi.”
He is a respected actor and is clearly well-liked by Emmy voters. The fact that two of his nominations, and his victory, came in the same category he is hoping to reap a nomination in this year is a good sign. He’s something of a limited series specialist and he could add to that record with another nomination this year.
McGregor is a household name and, thanks to his many years starring in major movies and TV roles, chiefly his turn as Obi-Wan Kenobi in “Star Wars,” he is an A-list actor. Emmy voters love nominating movie stars in this category, with the likes of Daniel Radcliffe (“Weird: The Al Yankovic Story”), Sebastian Stan (“Pam & Tommy”), Andrew Garfield (“Under the Banner of Heaven”), Colin Firth (“The Staircase”), Michael Keaton (“Dopesick”), Paul Bettany (“WandaVision”), and Hugh Grant (“The Undoing”) all receiving citations in recent years.
Specifically, voters seem to like it when actor who are renowned for iconic roles in franchises turn their focus onto smaller, more dramatic works. “Harry Potter” actor Radcliffe was nominated for “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story;” “Spider-Man” star Garfield was cited for “Under the Banner of Heaven;” and “Batman” performer Keaton picked up a bid for “Dopesick. Obi-Wan Kenobi and “Star Wars” thespian McGregor has already proven that Emmy voters like him in other projects thanks to his bids for “Fargo” and “Halston.” He could add another example here with “A Gentleman in Moscow.”
This Paramount+ show is also a period drama, a genre that is well-liked by Emmy voters in this category. Michael Shannon (“George & Tammy”), Evan Peters (“Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”), Kumail Nanjiani (“Welcome to Chippendales”), Stan (“Pam & Tommy”), McGregor himself (“Halston”), Jeremy Pope (“Hollywood”), Sam Rockwell (“Fosse/Verdon”), and Grant (“A Very English Scandal”) have all received bids for their performances in period dramas.
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