SAG Awards nominee profile: Paul Walter Hauser (‘Black Bird’) would complete a winter awards sweep with a victory
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After turning in many worthy performances across film and television for nearly two decades with no nominations to show for it, Paul Walter Hauser finally landed his first individual Screen Actors Guild Award bid this year. He is nominated for his chilling turn as suspected serial killer Larry Hall on Apple TV+’s “Black Bird” in the limited series/TV movie actor category. If Hauser prevails at the ceremony on February 26, he will have another statuette to, uh, lock up in his trophy case beside his Critics Choice Award and Golden Globe Award for the same role.
Based on “In with the Devil: A Fallen Hero, a Serial Killer, and a Dangerous Bargain for Redemption,” James Keene‘s 2010 memoir which he wrote with Hillel Levin, the six-part miniseries follows Keene (Taron Egerton), a one-time high school football star and decorated policeman’s son-turned-drug dealer, as he is sentenced to 10 years in a minimum security prison and presented with a unique choice: Either he enters a maximum security prison for the criminally insane, befriends suspected serial killer Hall and convinces him to confess to murdering up to 14 girls, or he serves his full sentence with no possibility of parole. Though he almost bails at the 11th hour, Keene recognizes that his only way out is to choose the former option.
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Although this marks the first time Hauser was singled out by the guild, he actually reaped his maiden citation as a member of the “Da 5 Bloods” (2020) ensemble. The two-time nominee has also appeared in numerous other SAG Award-nominated or -winning projects, including “BlacKkKlansman” (2018) — whose ensemble was shortlisted but for which Hauser lacked the necessary single-card main title billing to be eligible as a cast member — “I, Tonya” (2017), and the martial arts dramedy series “Cobra Kai.” So he is certainly no stranger to SAG-AFTRA members, and could very well parlay the goodwill he’s accumulated over the years into gold.
Ironically, his biggest challenger in the limited series/TV movie actor race is most likely the nominee who is not just the same age but also shortlisted for playing a real-life serial killer: Evan Peters. After earning his inaugural nomination for “Mare of Easttown” in this very category last year, the 36-year-old performer is now recognized for his portrayal of the titular killer in “Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.” Also nominated is Steve Carell of “The Patient” — whose character on the FX on Hulu series isn’t a serial killer himself, but therapizes and is held captive by one — a 19-time nominee who has three ensemble victories under his belt, one for “Little Miss Sunshine” (2006) and two for the sitcom “The Office” (2007-08), but is still in search for his first solo trophy. Searching for individual recognition this year are also the two men who round out the lineup, Sam Elliott of “1883” and “Black Bird’s” Egerton, both of whom are past nominees — Elliott for solo and ensemble acting for “A Star Is Born” (2018) and Egerton for his performance in “Rocketman” (2019).
While overcoming Peters, who took home the limited series/TV movie actor prize at the Globes and is contending for one of the most-watched titles in Netflix history, will probably be an uphill battle for Hauser, if anyone can pull off an upset here, it’s him. Although Hauser is the sole supporting player in a category full of leads, including his own show’s frontman, he can benefit from having the showiest part in the lineup. He gives a spine-chilling performance as Hall, playing the alleged murderer with a breathy, high-pitched voice, and imbuing him with an enigmatic quality that keeps you on the edge of your seat before unleashing the true monster in him at last. It’s the type of patently transformative work that actors tend to eat up and may just not be able to resist.
SEE 2023 SAG Awards TV Predictions: Best Limited Series Actor
Hauser is also entering the race with the most accolades for his performance — since Carell, Elliott, and Egerton have yet to bag any hardware for their respective roles and Peters was snubbed at Critics Choice — and could complete a winter awards sweep. If he does, that will only further boost his winning chances at the upcoming Emmys, where he appears to be neck and neck with Peters’ co-star Richard Jenkins in his category, per our early odds.
This article is a part of Gold Derby’s “SAG Awards nominee profile” series spotlighting the 2023 contenders in film and TV.
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