Dear universe, Servant star Rupert Grint deserves an Emmy nomination
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Hello there, reader. What are you up to today? Me, I'm just out here trying to manifest an Emmy nomination for Rupert Grint into existence.
You know Rupert Grint, reader. Once the adorable redhead from the Harry Potter movies, he's now all grown up and giving an incredible performance on Servant, the M. Night Shyamalan-produced psychological thriller on Apple TV+. Grint plays Julian, the foul-mouthed, hot-tempered brother to Dorothy Turner (Lauren Ambrose), who is coping - or rather, not coping - with the loss of her baby boy, Jericho. "He's this quite bullyish, privileged arrogant guy," Grint told me in a recent interview for EW's The Awardist. "He's a loving brother, and he's trying to fix everything."
Before I go any further, reader, an important note: If you watch the full interview above, you'll see that Grint is a very humble, self-effacing guy who would probably never say the words "I am a good actor" out loud, let alone campaign for an Emmy. So when he agreed to speak to EW about Servant, he definitely did not know that I would use this post to shout these words into the universe: RUPERT GRINT DESERVES AN EMMY NOMINATION FOR SERVANT, DAMMIT!
Mine is not an isolated opinion. When Servant premiered on Apple TV+ in 2019, it attracted some very high-profile fans, including author Stephen King, and filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, who singled out Grint's performance specifically:
1- I enjoyed SERVANT completely. Late to the party, but- this is a beautifully crafted, elegant show. Ruper Gint almost steals it, for me- as does the surgical staging and camera work in the M Night Shyamalan episodes. At times it feels like a European / British slow-burn show--
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) April 29, 2020
It's ridiculous that Servant didn't get any Emmy love in season one. Frankly, Grint deserved a nomination for this moment alone, when Julian rejects a spoonful of lobster ice cream made by Dorothy's chef husband, Sean (Toby Kebbell):
AppleTV+
That is the only proper response to lobster ice cream, IMO. Anyhow, Grint remains a scene-stealing standout as Julian in season 2, whether he's hissing profanity through clenched teeth, breaking down while watching a terrifying session of hypnosis, or overdosing in the Turner's bathroom.
Emmy voters, if you're reading this, let's not repeat the mistakes of last year. Go watch Servant, and then when nominations-round voting begins on June 14, please cast a vote for Rupert Grint. Anything less, to quote Julian himself, would be "a whole new level of skullf---ery."
Check out more from EW's The Awardist, featuring Emmys analysis, exclusive interviews, and our podcast diving into all the highlights from the year's TV shows and performances.
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