John Lithgow (‘The Old Man’) is coming for Emmy #7

Jacob Sarkisian
·5 min read
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“The Old Man” features a pair of performances from two septuagenarian performers that make this FX series pretty close to perfect. The show follows Oscar-winner Jeff Bridges as a retired CIA agent (Dan Chase) who is forced into hiding after he kills an intruder who breaks into his house. The hunt for Chase is overseen by none other than John Lithgow, who plays Harold Harper — FBI Assistant Director for Counterintelligence. As Harper, Lithgow uses his intelligence as a performer to paint a picture of a world-weary man who makes his trades with secrets and feels the weight of that after so many years. Lithgow is an actor who brings weight and wit to any role, and critics agree that this is another fine turn from the thespian.

Nick Schager (The Daily Beast) explained: “Bridges and Lithgow seize every available opportunity to imbue their archetypal characters with a world-weariness that’s palpable to the point of being crushing, and the material’s somber mood—amplified by a score of mournful cello and visual compositions that accentuate these figures’ alienation and loneliness—ultimately carries the day.”

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Wenlei Ma (News.com.au) observed: “What elevates ‘The Old Man’ to more than just generic are the performances. Lithgow is reliably effective as a man who’s spent decades keeping secrets – he brings so much gravitas and humanity to any role.”

Will Ashton (Slant Magazine) proclaimed: “John Lithgow brings a similarly weary but more guarded edge to his role as Harold Harper, a high-ranking F.B.I. agent who shares a complicated past with Dan. Though never exactly chummy, Lithgow does let a gentleness peek through in his scenes with Bridges, allowing us to sense the history that’s hinted at between the two characters. Even when ‘The Old Man’’s writing doesn’t always live up to Bridges and Lithgow’s immense talents, the actors don’t have any trouble making the material feel believable and incredibly lived-in.”

That critical reception has landed John Lithgow in our lineup of predicted nominees for Best Drama Supporting Actor, alongside Alexander Skarsgård and Nicholas Braun (both “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”). Lithgow is on the precipice of a nomination and only just above the likes of Jonathan Banks (“Better Call Saul”), Jonathan Pryce (“The Crown”), and Tom Hollander (“The White Lotus”) in our odds chart for this category. But there are several reasons why we think Lithgow will do just enough to get in.

Firstly, Lithgow is a veteran — Emmy voters love veterans, particularly in supporting categories. Last year, they nominated John Turturro and Christopher Walken for Drama Supporting Actor for “Severance,” while the year prior, they nominated Lithgow himself in the same category for “Perry Mason.” In 2020, they nominated Bradley Whitford for “The Handmaid’s Tale.” Then, in Comedy Supporting Actor, Henry Winkler (“Barry”) and Tony Shalhoub (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) were nominated last year, while Shalhoub earned the same bid in 2018, 2019, and 2020 (winning in 2019). And Paul Reiser (in 2021) and Alan Arkin (in 2019 and 2020) both received bids in this category for “The Kominsky Method”. Lithgow would be the latest veteran to earn the repeated support of Emmy voters.

Lithgow has already proven that he has the appropriate award credentials for this role. He’s been nominated at several major awards groups already. He earned a nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) at the Golden Globes (losing to Tyler James Williams for “Abbott Elementary”), and he also picked up a bid for Best Drama Supporting Actor at the Critics Choice Awards (losing to Esposito for “Better Call Saul”). There will be plenty of overlap between those awards bodies’ voters and the voters at the Emmys. This shows that Lithgow already has the necessary support for this role.

And Lithgow has the support of Emmy voters no matter what. He has received 13 nominations in total so far and has turned six of those into wins. He first won in 1986 for Best Drama Guest Actor for “Amazing Stories,” then won three Best Comedy Actor awards for “3rd Rock From the Sun” (in 1996, 1997, and 1999). Then, he made a comeback in 2010 when he won another Best Drama Guest Actor, this time for “Dexter.” His most recent Emmys win came in 2017 for Best Drama Guest Actor for “The Crown” while his most recent nomination came in 2021 in the same category for “Perry Mason.”

Lithgow has the full backing of the TV academy — they love this actor, particularly in dramatic supporting roles, so it is more than reasonable to think that they will look to reward an actor they respect so much here. Plus, Lithgow is a two-time Oscar nominee, a BAFTA TV Awards nominee, a two-time Critics Choice Awards nominee, a two-time Golden Globe winner, a three-time SAG Award winner, and a Critics Choice TV Awards winner. Awards bodies adore this man. We expect that adoration to continue this year at the Emmys.

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