Emmy spotlight: Elijah Wood generates buzz for reunion with Christina Ricci in ‘Yellowjackets’

Jacob Sarkisian
·7 min read
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“Yellowjackets” will look to take the Emmys by storm again after the first season of the Showtime hit came away with seven bids including a nomination for Best Drama Series. The show follows a high-school girls soccer team that survives a plane crash. What seems at first a lucky escape, however, soon devolves into something far more nightmarish as they try to survive in the Canadian wilderness. That’s one half of the story, set in 1996. The other half of the series focuses on the survivors as adults 25 years later in 2021.

The show stars Melanie Lynskey in the lead role — the adult version of Shauna — while Elijah Wood joined the season two cast as Walter Tattersall, a detective who tries to help Christina Ricci‘s Misty. “The Lord of the Rings” alum is a welcome addition to the cast of “Yellowjackets” and fits right in alongside fellow child actor Ricci. Pairing those two actors up, who previously starred in “The Ice Storm” together, was a stroke of genius and so much that is good in season two comes from them. Wood uses his natural, quirky charisma and quiet, boyish charm to great effect here and plays off of his old friend and co-star, Ricci, so well, as plenty of critics have noted.

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In her five-star review, Leila Latif (The Guardian) wrote: “The darkest of laughs are mined from the bizarre co-dependent bond young Misty forms with musical-theatre geek Crystal (Nuha Jes Izman) and the equally dysfunctional one in the present with fellow amateur detective Walter (Elijah Wood). Ricci and Wood prove perfect foils for each other, adept at playing dangerous weirdos you can’t help but root for.”

Mónica Marie Zarrilla (Inverse) opined: “It’s the new cast members that inject new energy into this season. Elijah Wood (‘The Lord of the Rings’) is a citizen detective whose cunning and forced charisma perfectly mirrors Misty’s, but whose convictions prove to be a foil to hers — a nuanced role which offers both comedic relief and relational tension that Wood plays exceedingly well.”

Brian Tallerico (Roger Ebert) explained: “The scene-to-scene writing is still spectacular, buoyed by one of the best ensembles on TV, a group that only grows richer in the sophomore season with the additions of Elijah Wood, Lauren Ambrose, Simone Kessell, and John Reynolds. The entire cast is on the same twisted page, trusting the writers and creators to take them to crazy places… it provides such creative satisfaction on a scene-to-scene basis. I could watch Ricci & Wood travel the country, solving crimes for roughly a decade.”

This critical reception hasn’t been quite enough, however, to land Wood in our predicted lineup for Best Drama Supporting Actor, where he’ll hope to be nominated at this year’s Emmys. Currently, we think the following stars will be nominated instead: John Lithgow (“The Old Man”), Alexander Skarsgård (“Succession”), Nicholaus Braun (“Succession”), Matt Smith (“House of the Dragon”), Alan Ruck (“Succession”), F. Murray Abraham (“The White Lotus”), Giancarlo Esposito (“Better Call Saul”), and Matthew Macfadyen (“Succession”). However, there is room for a surprise nomination here as Emmys history tells us that it is unlikely that all four “Succession” boys will get in.

The last time four actors from the same show were nominated in this category came all the way back in 2002, when Dulé Hill, Bradley Whitford, Richard Schiff, and, the winner, John Spencer, were given the nod for “The West Wing.” It’s unlikely, then, that this will happen again — so if one of the “Succession” boys drops out, Wood could be one of the ones waiting in the wings looking to pounce on such an opportunity, particularly as he is the story in a horror/fantasy/sci-fi show. These genre pieces are becoming much more popular in the last few years, particularly for supporting actors in this category.

In five out of the last six years, there has been an actor from a sci-fi or fantasy show nominated in this category. In 2017, David Harbour was nominated for “Stranger Things” and Wright was nominated for “Westworld.” In 2018, Peter Dinklage won for “Game of Thrones” while his co-star, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, was also nominated, as was Harbour, again for “Stranger Things.” Dinklage won again in 2019, wherein co-stars Coster-Waldau and Alfie Allen were also nominated. In 2020, Wright was nominated once more for “Westworld,” while Giancarlo Esposito was nominated in 2021 for “The Mandalorian.”

The only year in the last six when no actors from these types of shows were nominated in this category was last year. However, we expect there to be some fantasy/sci-fi love this year — we predict Smith (for “House of the Dragon”) will be nominated, at least. Wood shares most similarities with Harbour — both play detective characters who try to solve mysteries in a dark, horror-tinged landscape while working with an actress who previously made her name as a young star in gothic projects (Winona Ryder/Ricci). Curious how similar those two are, actually, but if Harbour can earn a bid, so can Wood!

This is particularly true because we know that Emmy voters like this show. Season one earned seven bids, as previously mentioned, including a nod for Best Drama Series and Best Drama Actress for Lynskey. It was also nominated for Best Drama Supporting Actress for Ricci, Best Drama Directing, and Best Drama Writing. Those are some serious nominations. Currently, we are predicting that season two will reap bids for Best Drama Series, Best Drama Actress for Lynskey (who we think will win!), and Best Drama Supporting Actress for Ricci. Meanwhile, plenty of other actors could also theoretically get nominated including John Cameron-Mitchell for Best Drama Guest Actor, Ella Purnell for Best Drama Guest Actress, Warren Kole for Best Drama Supporting Actor, and Kessell, Ambrose, and Sophie Thatcher for Drama Supporting Actress. If voters become taken with this show, Wood could be a beneficiary of that love and be swept along for the ride.

And he would deserve it. Wood has had a lengthy career due to his early success as a child actor but has always, somehow, been the unsung hero. He was the lead in one of the most successful and respected trilogies of all time in “The Lord of the Rings,” which won 17 Oscars altogether, yet he never received the plaudits his acting deserved. He’s also had stellar supporting roles in other major movies such as “Sin City,” “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” and “Bobby.” Plus, he’s led the line in some brilliant quirky projects such as “I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore” and TV shows “Wilfred” and “Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency.” He’s featured in high-brow fantasies, indie dramas, idiosyncratic comedies, gripping thrillers, and now, off-kilter horrors. Wood deserves his time in the spotlight — and “Yellowjackets” could earn him that first-ever Emmy nomination.

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