Emmys: Will 3rd time be the charm for Fiona Shaw (‘Andor’) in Drama Supporting Actress?

Jacob Sarkisian
·4 min read
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Fiona Shaw has racked up three Emmy bids across her storied career so far. Two came for Best Drama Supporting Actress for “Killing Eve” in 2019 and 2020 while she also earned a Comedy Guest Actress bid in 2019 for another Phoebe Waller-Bridge project — “Fleabag.” Now, she deserves a fourth nomination for a role that just bagged her a BAFTA TV nomination.

Shaw stars in the latest Disney+ “Star Wars” show “Andor” and left quite the impression. She played Maarva Andor, the adoptive mother to Diego Luna‘s titular Cassian Andor. In the show, she is protective of her adoptive son but also finds a hard-fought rebellious streak as the Empire takes a hold of her home planet, Ferrix.

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Maarva becomes a key part of the growing rebellion on Ferrix and, even though she dies before the show’s 12th and final episode, she plays a huge part in the finale. Her droid, B2EMO, plays a hologram recording of her at her funeral and Shaw delivers the show’s finest speech. In a rousing, emotional speech, Maarva touches on notes about her own mortality and acceptance of death before she inspires everyone listening to wake up from their slumber and start fighting back. The speech climaxes with Maarva telling her comrades to fight the Empire and it sparks the final battle at the end of the episode.

It’s a crucial moment in the show and Shaw nails the monologue. Before this, in episode three, we see Maarva in flashbacks as we learn how she found Cassian. We then Maarva in the present day — aging and weak but still a defiance in her — trying to defend her son from the Empire and allow the time necessary to escape. The Empire ransacks her home as Cassian flees and Maarva sits in her ruined house crying. It’s a tender, touching moment and it allows Shaw to bring some humanity to a galaxy far, far away.

These are just two examples of a performance that is genuinely moving and is, actually, the heart and soul of possibly the best “Star Wars” show to date. And critics agree that Shaw’s performance is marvelous.

IGN’s Simon Cardy wrote: “No actor feels out of place in ‘Andor,’ each pitching their A-Game, from Adria Arjona who brings warmth and loyalty to the role of Bix, to Fiona Shaw who stars in some of the series’ most impactful scenes.”

David Craig of Radio Times wrote that Shaw “makes a mighty impression despite her fairly fleeting appearances in these opening chapters. Her weighty line delivery sends chills down the spine and her enigmatic persona leaves you hungry to know more.”

And Mike Hale of the New York Times wrote that “Fiona Shaw stands out in a supporting role as Cassian’s rough-and-tumble mentor.”

Currently, Shaw’s odds for a Best Drama Supporting Actress sits just outside the current predicted slate, which is made up of Jennifer Coolidge (“The White Lotus”), Sarah Snook (“Succession”), Rhea Seehorn (“Better Call Saul”), Elizabeth Debicki (“The Crown”), Christina Ricci (“Yellowjackets”), Aubrey Plaza (“The White Lotus”), Meghann Fahy (“The White Lotus”), and J. Smith-Cameron (“Succession”). But a performance as human and moving as Shaw’s, particularly in the CGI-fuelled world of “Star Wars,” deserves far more credit.

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