Westworld: Why Jeffrey Wright deserves to win the Lead Actor Emmy

After being moved from supporting to lead actor on the second season of Westworld, Jeffrey Wright snagged a nomination in the Lead Actor for Drama Series category–tis a delight, isn’t it?

 Warning: Westworld spoilers ahead! 

Westworld snagged multiple nominations across the board for the 2018 Emmys, and amongst them was Jeffrey Wright, who is nominated for Lead Actor in a Drama Series. This is a step up for him since he was bumped to lead actor for the second season, and we have to say this is extremely well deserved.

In the second season of Westworld, Wright stepped up his game as he dealt with multiple timelines, a conflicted mind, and had Ford on his mind–literally. His execution was flawless, and his performance beyond anything we’ve seen from him before. He truly deserves to win the Emmy for Lead Actor in a Drama Series–glitches and all.

According to exclusive news from Gold Derby, we now know that Wright will be submitting the season two finale, “The Passenger” for his Emmy submission. For those who can’t recall, Bernard meets with Dolores to go to the Forge and they come across a host version of Logan, an intense library, and then, well, he shoots her and brings her back into another host body.

Wright’s performance in this episode is jarring and haunting and the perfect pick for his submission. There is something to be said about the way Wright encapsulates Bernard’s confused state of mind as he struggles to piece together that which he knows, and that which he is unsure of.

One of the most impressive feats Wright accomplished this season, and what makes him a huge contender in this category is having to portray multiple versions of himself. At times he was the confused, aloof Bernard who was struggling to make sense of what was going on, and then he would switch to the Bernard that was under the control of someone else.

Switching back and forth within one character is a feat not many can achieve (perhaps besides Orphan Black’s Tatiana Maslany) but he does so effortlessly and more importantly, makes it believable. Watching him malfunction as a host is absolutely incredible, and in those moments we forget we’re watching a real person that is having to convey these actions through his performance.

Next: Emmys 2018: Complete list of Westworld nominees

Wright has brought Bernard a long way in the narrative, and as we anxiously await for season three, we know that his performance in season two can only mean whatever comes next will simply blow our minds. Kudos to Jeffrey Wright for killing it this season and for sucking us into the confusing, addicting plot of the series.

The subtle nuances in Wright’s acting are so extremely commendable and in our opinion, he was the star of Westworld season two. Between being a host and having to pretend to be human, his glitches, multiple timelines, and so on so forth, Jeffrey Wright truly deserves to win the Emmy for Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his phenomenal, groundbreaking performance.

Do you think Jeffrey Wright should win the Emmy? Share your thoughts with us!