Game of Thrones Emmy submission snubs

Rory McCann for Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series

Seriously, how did this not happen? There were plenty of Game of Thrones actors submitted for this category, including Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister), Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister), Alfie Allen (Theon Greyjoy), Pilou Asbæk (Euron Greyjoy) and Richard Dormer (Beric Dondarrion). Asbæk and Dormer are particularly surprising, not because they weren’t good, but because they didn’t leave the impact that someone like McCann did with his final performance as the Hound.

In a season where the writing was often criticized for letting characters down, the Hound had a strong year. Whether he was being his surly self before the Battle of Winterfell, protecting Arya from wights, having a fatherly moment with her in the Red Keep or battling his brother the Mountain to the death, the Hound had a lot to do, and McCann was up to it. He brought equal parts ferocity and vulnerability to the role and deserved recognition.

Granted, his absence here may have something to do with McCann himself. According to awards site GoldDerby, HBO only submitted Dinklage and Coster-Waldau for consideration. Allen, Asbæk and Dormer were probably submitted through their personal reps. Now, I think HBO should have submitted McCann to start, but if it’s up to his personal rep to make that happen, it probably won’t, because McCann has always given me the impression that he doesn’t care about Hollywood stuff. He’d rather work on his boat. I can’t see him pushing for awards recognition.

Come to think of it, Jacob Anderson (Grey Worm) should have gotten in on this category, too — this was probably his best season as an actor. John Bradley (Sam Tarly) wasn’t bad, either. Ah, well.