Emmy spotlight: Keira Knightley cracks the case of the ‘Boston Strangler’

With the true crime TV movie “Boston Strangler,” Keira Knightley has made a welcome return to the genre she excels in — period dramas. The new Hulu telefilm chronicles the true story of Loretta McLaughlin, the reporter who connected the murders of the Boston Strangler and broke the story for Boston Record American.

The killer murdered 13 women in the 1960s and McLaughlin (Knightley) reported on the ongoing story alongside Jean Cole (Carrie Coon) while dealing with the sexism of the era at the same time. Utilizing an American accent, which Knightley doesn’t often do, the actress is a firm presence on screen and carries the TV movie on her shoulders. It’s her haunting facial expressions and dogged determinism as McLaughlin that propels the movie forward. Without Knightley’s cutting central performance, the movie might not have worked, as critics have noted.

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Stephanie Zacharek (Time Magazine) wrote: “Knightley, in a performance as crisp as the corners of an envelope, makes McLaughlin’s perseverance—and the pressures she faced as she also tried to be a good wife and mother—deeply believable.”

Peter Travers (ABC News) explained: “The British Knightley, sporting a spot-on American accent, is ideal casting as Loretta. Dismissed early in her career as eye candy in such films ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ and ‘Love, Actually,’ Knightley — who went on to earn Oscar nominations for ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and ‘The Imitation Game’ — could identify with Loretta’s struggle to be taken seriously.”

Richard Lawson (Vanity Fair) observed: “Knightley, enjoying her most interesting film role since 2018’s ‘Colette,’ tucks into the project with intelligent vigor. (Her accent work is also strong.) It’s a calm and confident performance that matches Ruskin’s solemn tone.”

However, despite the positive reception to Knightley’s performance, she currently sits just outside of our predicted six nominees for Best TV Movie/Limited Series Actress: Lizzy Caplan (“Fleishman is in Trouble”), Riley Keough (“Daisy Jones and the Six”), Elizabeth Olsen (“Love and Death”), Emily Blunt (“The English”), Ali Wong (“Beef”), and Jessica Chastain (“George and Tammy”). But there are a few reasons as to why Knightley could still make this cut.

Firstly, Knightley has never been nominated for an Emmy, despite being a performer who has been working in the industry since 1993. Admittedly, she hasn’t done all that much television in her career, but the fact remains that she has never been nominated for an Emmy. Voters may want to change this — particularly as this is a meaty role for voters to sink their teeth into.

And let’s not forget, Emmy voters like nominating A-list movie stars in this category. Amanda Seyfried won last year for “The Dropout” while Kate Winslet won the year before that for “Mare of Easttown.” In that same year, Olsen earned a bid for “WandaVision.” Previously, Cate Blanchett (in 2020 for “Mrs. America”), Amy Adams (in 2019 for “Sharp Objects”), and Laura Dern (in 2018 for “The Tale”) have all also been nominated in this category, amongst plenty of other A-listers. Knightley would slot right into that lineup.

But while she hasn’t been nominated for an Emmy, she is still a decorated actress with an extensive awards history. She earned her first Oscar nomination in 2006 for Best Actress for “Pride & Prejudice” (losing to Reese Witherspoon for “Walk the Line”) and then earned a Best Supporting Actress nomination in 2015 for “The Imitation Game” (losing to Patricia Arquette for “Boyhood”). She also earned a BAFTA supporting bid for that movie, while she was also nominated for the BAFTA Best Actress award in 2008 for “Atonement” (losing to Marion Cotillard for “La Vie en Rose”). She’s also been nominated for three Golden Globes, two SAG awards, and three Critics Choice awards. This is tried and tested performer with awards voters, so we know awards bodies like her. The Emmys may go the same way.

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