The sheer number of Marvel Cinematic Universe’s 2021 Emmy Awards nominations is impressive, to say the least, with WandaVision earning 23, including for Best Limited or Anthology Series, Lead Actress, Lead Actor and Supporting Actress. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, meanwhile, received five nominations, most notably -- and, for many, most curiously -- for Don Cheadle's guest role in the series premiere, for which he appeared onscreen for less than two minutes.
Cheadle, who has 10 other Emmy nominations to his credit, is just as perplexed as everyone else is about this one, tweeting, “"I don’t really get it either." That said, the nod is neither as controversial as nor as unprecedented as it may appear.
The category is designed to honor actors who make limited appearances, and usually a single episode is cited for the award. That can often lead to nominations, and even wins, for performances that don’t entail a lot of screen time. In 2006, Ellen Burstyn was nominated for the HBO movie Mrs. Harris, despite only delivering two lines that totaled 14 seconds. And just last year, Jasmine Cephas Jones won Best Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series for saying just three words and appearing onscreen for less than 30 seconds in #FreeRayshawn. Cheadle’s two minutes hardly breaks new ground in the face of that.
Furthermore, the brevity of the performance doesn’t mean it requires no skill to deliver or that its importance in the story is somehow lessened. An actor with extended screen time certainly has more chances to explore the character and impress viewers with their performance, but in some cases, the impact of a role can quite literally come down to a single line. Cheadle is among the best actors in the world and he can bring a great deal of depth to a few small words.
His performance is exceptionally strong to boot, packing a lot of material into a very tight package. Like Sam, he feels the legacy of another man weighing down on him – in his case, Tony Stark – and his conversation with his fellow hero is at once both comforting and full of sadness. Rhodey’s time in the spotlight will come with Armor Wars, but if his preview in Falcon and Winter Soldier was any indication, it will be a powerhouse.
Furthermore, Falcon and Winter Soldier needed him to speak to Sam, who was alone at that point in the story and very far from his purpose. To drop the scene or insert a different character would diminish the importance of that moment in the story. It ties into the series’ themes of race and representation very deeply, and helps launch Sam on his journey towards becoming Captain America. As brief as it is, it’s vital to the story the show wants to tell.
Lost amidst it all is the question of why other key creative figures in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier were left without a nomination. Neither of the series leads received a nod, nor did supporting actors like Carl Lumbly. Considering the plethora of nominations WandaVision enjoyed, it raises uncomfortable questions about whether the Academy is ready to honor the kinds of issues Falcon and Winter Soldier confronts head on. Nevertheless, none of that diminishes from Cheadle’s performance, which affirms the old adage that there are no small parts.
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