Robert Downey Jr. & Da’Vine Joy Randolph Eye Emmy Wins After 2024 Oscars

Robert Downey Jr. and Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s 2024 awards season reached new heights with their Emmy nominations announced this morning. Both actors secured their first nominations, continuing an impressive streak. Randolph earned a nod for guest actress in a comedy series for her role in Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building,” while Downey snagged a nomination for supporting actor in a limited series for HBO’s “The Sympathizer.” According to Variety’s senior awards editor Clayton Davis, Downey is the frontrunner in his category.

The Emmy nominations for Randolph and Downey are significant as both actors won Oscars in March, paving the way for a rare opportunity to achieve an Oscar and Emmy win within the same year. Randolph won an Oscar for best supporting actress for her role in “The Holdovers,” while Downey earned a supporting actor Oscar for “Oppenheimer.”

Both actors dominated the film awards season with their exceptional performances in “The Holdovers” and “Oppenheimer,” respectively, winning several pre-cursor awards. Before their Academy Award triumphs, Randolph and Downey captured supporting wins at the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice Awards, SAG Awards, and BAFTA Film Awards.

In a conversation with Jodie Foster for Variety’s “Actors on Actors” series earlier this year, Downey shared that the emotional demand of filming “Oppenheimer” influenced his decision to join “The Sympathizer.” Downey showcased his versatility by playing four antagonistic characters in the series. The show is adapted from Viet Thanh Nguyen’s 2015 novel and revolves around a North Vietnamese soldier infiltrating a South Vietnamese community in America near the end of the Vietnam War. Downey described his characters as intentionally a bit two-dimensional, with the congressman being his favorite.

Before the Emmy nominations were revealed, awards analysts speculated that Emma Stone, another 2024 Oscar winner, would also receive a nomination. Stone, who won an Oscar for best actress in “Poor Things,” was tipped to be a strong contender for an Emmy nomination for her role in Showtime’s “The Curse,” but she did not make the final cut.

Another noteworthy contender this season, Ryan Gosling, received an Emmy nomination for guest actor in a comedy series due to his hosting gig on “Saturday Night Live.” Although he did not win an Oscar this year, he was a nominee for supporting actor for “Barbie,” a category where Downey emerged victorious.

In the race for guest actress in a comedy series, Randolph faces competition from Olivia Colman and Jamie Lee Curtis, both from “The Bear,” Kaitlin Olson from “Hacks,” and “Saturday Night Live” stars Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig. Downey’s competitors for supporting actor in a limited series include Jonathan Bailey from “Fellow Travelers,” Tom Goodman-Hill from “Baby Reindeer,” John Hawkes from “True Detective: Night Country,” Lamorne Morris from “Fargo,” Lewis Pullman from “Lessons in Chemistry,” and Treat Williams from “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans.”

Source: Variety