SAG Awards nominee profile: Rachel Brosnahan (‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’) tries for second solo trophy

David Buchanan
·4 min read
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Standup comedian Midge Maisel certainly had a tumultuous fourth season on the Amazon Prime series that bears her name, but actress Rachel Brosnahan shined as her character stumbled. After being unceremoniously kicked off of Shy Baldwin’s (LeRoy McClain) tour, Midge spent the penultimate season of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” trying to reestablish herself on her own terms, performing as emcee at a burlesque club. For her turn as an underdog once more, the actress earned another Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for best comedy actress.

Brosnahan is one of the most feted performers in the category this year. She earned her first citation as an ensemble member of “House of Cards” and has gone on to earn five more for “Maisel,” a tally which includes one solo and two ensemble victories. Besting her by one nomination apiece are Christina Applegate and Jean Smart; the former has seven nominations to her credit for “Samantha Who?” and “Dead to Me,” while the latter has amassed bids (and one victory) for “24,” “Mare of Easttown,” “Hacks,” and an entry for film ensemble this year for “Babylon.” Rounding out the category are two first-time nominees: Quinta Brunson, who earned two SAG bids this year for “Abbott Elementary,” and Jenna Ortega for “Wednesday.”

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“Mrs. Maisel” hasn’t been eligible at the SAG Awards since the 2020 ceremony, due to pandemic delays and the show’s long production schedule. For Brosnahan to win her second individual trophy, she will have to fend off returning champion Smart and breakout star Brunson. That may be tricky to do, since this is the weakest showing for “Mrs. Maisel” at the awards ceremony to date. The series went from four nominations for its second and third seasons to just one for Brosnahan for its fourth. The fact that she has returned to the category after years away speaks to the passion voters have for this role and performance, though, which could be an indication that some voters will support her in this final round of voting, too.

Brosnahan’s performance in the fourth season was, indeed, quite marvelous. The actress has always been at her best when Midge has to confront obstacles to her dream career as a standup, and this past year provided her ample opportunities to do so. From her refusal to believe that she got booted from Shy Baldwin’s tour to her attempts to bring the dilapidated strip club to new heights, from her heartfelt confrontation with Shy at his wedding and her comedic standoff with Sophie Lennon (Jane Lynch) to her off-color set in front of Jackie Kennedy, the actress had ample moments to shine and show off her incredible comedic timing.

The Emmy winner had a particularly knockout season finale, too, in which she delivers a tearjerking set about her ailing father-in-law before a chance encounter with Lenny Bruce (Luke Kirby) finally leads the two to sleep together for the first time. The whole season culminates in a discussion between Lenny and Midge on the stage of Carnegie Hall, where he confronts her about how poorly she is handling her career, passing over opportunities no comedian should let go of. The scene is a beautifully performed two-hander, and we get to watch Brosnahan as Midge process a whole season’s worth of missteps in real time. A SAG victory for Brosnahan would certainly be unexpected, but definitely not undeserved.

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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