‘The Crown’ scene-stealer Lesley Manville: From Oliviers to Emmys?

“The Crown” will hope to build on its status as an Emmys force to be reckoned with its fifth season, which takes proceedings into the 1990s.

The latest edition of the acclaimed Netflix features Imelda Staunton taking over the role of Queen Elizabeth while Elizabeth Debicki plays Princess Diana and Dominic West features as Prince Charles. Some of the major events depicted include the Queen’s “annus horribilis,” the public divorce of Diana and Charles, and the former’s “Panorama” interview. Meanwhile, Lesley Manville takes over the role of Princess Margaret from Helena Bonham-Carter, who, in turn, took the role from Vanessa Kirby.

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And, in that role, Manville is quietly one of the very best things about this season. While Kirby and Bonham-Carter could be more playful in their depictions of Margaret, Manville has to be more restrained. Her Manville has settled into her role in the Royal Family and has somewhat given up her more rebellious nature. She’s prim and proper and resigned to her status in the firm, demonstrating a quiet sadness behind the stylish, stony exterior.

However, there is still a twinkle in Manville’s eyes here, while she gets one of the show’s standout moments when Margaret reunites with Peter Townsend (played here by Timothy Dalton), who was the love interest shown in earlier seasons. Manville’s Margaret then gets to unleash the anger and resentment she’s held on to for years at her sister for not allowing her to marry Townsend. It’s a marvelous moment that sums up what makes the show so good — a family drama expertly performed by wonderful actors. And critics all agree, Manville is a standout here.

Peter Travers (ABC News) explained: “Princess Margaret (the great Lesley Manville) berates her queen sister for ending Margaret’s romance with Peter Townsend, superbly played in later years by former James Bond Timothy Dalton. Manville and Dalton are a joy to watch in this tale of love rekindled too late.”

Emma Fraser (The Playlist) observed: “Margaret (Lesley Manville) is an example of someone whose life could’ve gone down a different path if her sister hadn’t vetoed her choice of love match. This painful event is revisited, and Manville is equally adept at portraying the deep bitterness as she is at the fluttering nerves that never went away. Some of the series’ best moments are between the two sisters, whether gossiping, briefly dropping the stoicism, and showcasing how lived in this dynamic is — something each pair of actors has done brilliantly.”

Matt Roush (TV Insider) proclaimed that this was the latest of a numver of roles that Manville excels in: “The very busy Lesley Manville (currently seen in ‘Magpie Murders’ on PBS and ‘Dangerous Liaisons’ on Starz) is pert perfection as her seethingly resentful yet loyal sister, Princess Margaret.”

Maggie Fremont (TV Guide) insisted: “Manville gets much less screen time than the other actors in this role and yet does so much with it. As Margaret meets up with lost love Peter Townsend (played by an extremely swoony Timothy Dalton!), we see every shade of her: wistful, romantic, fun-loving, bitter, angry. And to top it all off, we get a powerful scene between the two sisters that only fortifies how foundational that relationship is to this entire series. I haven’t stopped thinking about how moving it is or the rich character development it provides — give Manville all the awards you’ve got.”

But while many might agree with Fremont’s assessment, including this writer, Manville is currently outside of our predicted nominees for Best Drama Supporting Actress. At the moment, we think the following eight actresses will be nominated: Carol Burnett (“Better Call Saul”), Megahnn Fahy (“The White Lotus”), Christina Ricci (“Yellowjackets”), J. Smith-Cameron (“Succession”), Aubrey Plaza (“The White Lotus”), Elizabeth Debicki (“The Crown”), Rhea Seehorn (“Better Call Saul”), and Jennifer Coolidge (“The White Lotus”). But fear not, Manville fans, there’s a route to an Emmys bid for this actress yet.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way here first: she’s a performer of veteran status. She’s appeared in so many great projects, including “Topsy Turvy,” “Vera Drake,” and “Another Year” (three of multiple collaborations with British director Mike Leigh). She’s also had supporting roles in major motion picutres like “A Christmas Carol” and both “Maleficent” movies, while she earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 2018 for holding her own against Daniel Day-Lewis (Daniel Day-Lewis!) in “Phantom Thread” (she lost to Allison Janney for “I, Tonya”).

She’s also a six-time BAFTA nominee, a Golden Globe nominee, a SAG nominee, and an Olivier Award winner (she won for Best Actress in 2014 for “Ghosts”). This actress is very well respected by her peers and awards bodies love this veteran. And who loves a veteran? The Emmys, especially in this category of Best Drama Supporting Actress. Ann Dowd has reaped three bids here for “The Handmaid’s Tale,” winning in 2017, while Meryl Streep and Laura Dern were both nominated in 2020 for “Big Little Lies.” And Fiona Shaw was nominated in 2019 for “Killing Eve.” Manville would be the latest in a long line of veteran stars to feel the golden glow of Emmys recognition in this category.

But Manville is veteran who has, somehow, never been nominated for an Emmy before. Decades of exquisite performances, but no nominations. Manville may be more known to British audiences, but she is still well overdue a first Emmy nomination. And what better place to get it than for “The Crown?” Emmy voters  cherish “The Crown.” So far, the show has won a whopping 21 Emmys. Being involved in a show this beloved will always help your chances no matter what. But let’s dig a little deeper into Emmy voters’ love for this show. They specifically adore the performances, having awarded “The Crown” 17 nominations in total for its various actors’ roles. That is an incredible number. Season one garnered two bids, season two repaed four nominations, season three received two bids, and season four was greeted with a huge nine nominations.

Currently, we think that “The Crown” season five will be nominated for Best Drama Series, Best Drama Actress for Staunton, and Best Drama Supporting Actress for Debicki. The show is also on the precipice of a bid forWest for Best Drama Actor and it’s close to a bid for Best Drama Supporting Actor bid for Jonathan Pryce, so this season could earn anywhere between two and five nominations for its acting. If the Emmy voters are really taken with this season, as they usually are with “The Crown,” it could be another very successful year for the show, and Manville will be right at the front of the queue to receive their rewards, particularly because voters seem to love the role of Princess Margaret.

Kirby was nominated for Best Drama Supporting Actress in 2018 while Bonham-Carter reaped back to back bids in 2020 and 2021 for tenure in the role. Manville could continue that trend of love for this supporting character. And don’t worry about the fact that Manville’s co-star, Debicki, is predicted to earn a nomination in the same category for the same show. Emmy voters don’t mind doubling like this at all, particularly in this category. Last year, Smith-Cameron and Sarah Snook were both nominated for “Succession,” while four actors were given the nod the year before for “The Handmaid’s Tale” — Samira Wiley, Yvonne Strahovski, Madeline Brewer, and Dodd. And in that same year, three actors reaped bids for “The Crown” — Bonham Carter, Emerald Fennell, and, the winner, Gillian Anderson. Don’t be surprised to see “The Crown” repeat again in this category.

And she’s already earned some support for her performance in “The Crown.” She’s been nominated by several critics groups for her supporting turn, while she was also nominated for Best Ensemble at this year’s SAG Awards for the TV show (losing to “The White Lotus”). This shows that she has some awards credentials for this specific performance, and Emmys support might not be all that far off.

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