Emmys spotlight: Scene stealer Rafe Spall rides off with ‘The English’
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“The English” is hoping for a successful Emmys season coming up, with the show on the precipice for a Best Limited Series bid as well as a Best TV Movie/Limited Series Actor nomination for Chaske Spencer, while Emily Blunt is odds-on to be cited in the lead actress category. But they may be joined by the ever-reliable supporting player Rafe Spall, who emerged from Amazon Prime Video’s sweeping western series as one of the best things about it — if not the best.
“The English,” by creator Hugo Blick, follows Blunt as Lady Cornelia Locke, who is on the hunt for revenge in a search for the man responsible for her son’s death. Along the way, she meets Spencer’s Eli Whipp/Wounded Wolf, who is on a quest of his own — to claim back the land he is owed for his service in the US Army. The show is full of enjoyable performances from supporting players, including Toby Jones and Ciarán Hinds, but as the villainous David Melmont, Spall is the pick of the bunch.
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Melmont is the influential owner of a general store in the town of Hoxem, Caine County — and Spall has a blast, chewing scenery on the regular. He’s vicious, nasty, and enjoys carrying out such malice — he makes for a truly hissable villain that is actually quite a colorful character, juxtaposing nicely against the more stoic duo of Blunt and Spencer. It’s a brilliant turn from Spall, who is proving once again what a versatile actor he is — and critics have been quick to notice.
Lucy Mangan (The Guardian) explained: “And then there’s Rafe Spall as David Melmont, with a performance just this side of demented, and quite perfect as a truly diabolic villain – the kind who can reach across the open plains to master the lesser fiends, the willing weak and the good men with no choice and cast the net around an approaching nemesis and bring her down.”
Boyd Hilton (Empire) observed: “Among the dazzling supporting cast, Rafe Spall stands out as an animalistic monster whose wanton viciousness is so twisted it’s actually funny, and yet bloodcurdling at the same time.”
Daniel Fienberg (The Hollywood Reporter) wrote: “Sticking around a little longer is Rafe Spall, with a dandy’s wardrobe, a marble-mouthed working-class accent and a level of operatic villainy that fits with the show’s home stretch.”
Currently, Spall is outside of our predicted six nominees in the Best TV Movie/Limited Series Supporting Actor category: Young Mazino (“Beef”), Murray Bartlett (“Welcome to Chippendales”), Ray Liotta (“Black Bird”), Domhnall Gleeson (“The Patient”), Richard Jenkins (“Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”), and Paul Walter Hauser (“Black Bird”).
But don’t rule him out just yet — this is an increasingly well-respected actor on the rise and people are beginning to notice just how versatile he is. He’s had memorable supporting roles in major, Best Picture-nominated movies such as “Life of Pi” and “The Big Short,” while he’s also featured in blockbusters such as “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” and “Men in Black: International.” He’s done horror (“The Ritual”), sci-fi (“The World’s End”), and has been a key player in critically-loved indie movies, too (“Just Mercy”).
Plus, he is currently starring in the Apple TV+ laffer “Trying,” showing that his comedy chops are just as good as his dramatic ones — which is no mean feat. Not every actor can try their hand at both and come out on top, as Spall has done. And he’s also a respected theatre actor with three Olivier Award nominations to his name: Best Supporting Actor in 2017 for “Hedda Gabler,” Best Actor in 2013 for “Constellations,” and Best Actor again this year for Aaron Sorkin‘s acclaimed adaptation of “To Kill a Mockingbird.” That last performance, in particular, has brought Spall so much respect — he made an iconic role his own after the inimitable Gregory Peck won the Best Actor Oscar for the movie version in 1963.
All of this adds up to paint a picture of a versatile actor that his peers undoubtedly respect — and it all helps his Emmys chances. But let’s talk about his role in “The English” specifically for a second. It’s a delicious, villainous turn and the Emmys love nominating villains in this category of Best TV Movie/Limited Series Supporting Actor. Past examples include Jeff Daniels in 2018 (winner, “Godless”), David Thewlis in 2017 (“Fargo”) Alexander Skarsgård in 2017 (winner, “Big Little Lies”), Hugh Laurie in 2016 (“The Night Manager”), Finn Wittrock in 2015 (“American Horror Story: Freak Show”), and Zachary Quinto and James Cromwell (winner) in 2013 (both “American Horror Story: Asylum”). Spall could easily join that list.
He could also benefit from a potential sweep of nominations should Emmy voters like the show. BAFTA gave the series five bids (although, curiously, not for Spall) and Emmy voters could go the same way. If the show gets into Best Limited Series and Blunt and Spencer both get in along with some below-the-line nominations, Spall could get taken along for the ride. If he did, he’d earn his first-ever Emmy nomination — and, boy, does he deserve it.
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