2024 Emmy Experts predict Best Drama Actor: Hiroyuki Sanada (‘Shōgun’) on the rise
Having trouble predicting who will win Best Drama Actor at the upcoming Emmy Awards? Let’s consult Gold Derby’s 2024 Emmy Experts! These savvy pundits from major media outlets have chimed in with their predictions, and the majority of them believe the trophy will go to Gary Oldman (“Slow Horses”). The other potential nominees, per our current racetrack odds, are Hiroyuki Sanada (“Shōgun”), Jamie Dornan (“The Tourist”), Dominic West (“The Crown”), Donald Glover (“Mr. and Mrs. Smith”) and Cosmo Jarvis (“Shōgun”).
As of this writing, a leading 10 out of our 16 Emmy Experts predict a victory for Oldman: Ben Travers (Indiewire), Eric Deggans (NPR), Jazz Tangcay (Variety), Keith Simanton (IMDb), Kelly Lawler (USA Today), Peter Travers (ABC), Ray Richmond (Gold Derby), Susan King (Gold Derby), Thelma Adams (Gold Derby) and Wilson Morales (BlackFilmandTV). He plays Jackson Lamb, the head of MI5’s division for rejects, on Apple TV+’s “Slow Horses.” Oldman is a Best Actor Oscar champion for “Darkest Hour” (2017) and he has a single Emmy bid to his name for guest-starring on “Friends” (2001).
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Five other Emmyologists — Christopher Rosen (Gold Derby), Clayton Davis (Variety), Joyce Eng (Gold Derby), Matt Roush (TV Guide Magazine) and Shawn Edwards (WDAF-TV Fox) — instead believe Sanada will prevail for “Shōgun.” The Japanese actor takes on the role of the well-respected Lord Yoshii Toranaga in FX’s historical series (which recently switched categories from limited to drama). This would be the first major American-based award for Sanada.
SEE Watch our lively chats with hundreds of 2024 Emmy contenders
The final pundit, Susan Wloszczyna (Gold Derby), stands alone in backing a victory for Dornan. He plays a car crash victim in HBO’s “The Tourist” who wakes up in an Australian hospital with no memory of his true identity. This would mark Dornan’s first career Emmy bid after previously appearing in popular TV series like “The Fall” and “Once Upon a Time,” though he’s perhaps best known for the “Fifty Shades of Grey” film franchise.
Also looking strong in our Experts’ rankings is West for “The Crown.” He hopes to follow in the footsteps of Josh O’Connor, who won a lead acting Emmy in 2021 for his portrayal of Prince Charles on Netflix’s regal drama. Despite an impressive career in television, including starring roles on “The Wire” and “The Affair,” West has never received an Emmy nomination … but that should change this year.
Some of the most recent Emmy winners in the Best Drama Actor category include Kieran Culkin (“Succession”) in 2023, Lee Jung-jae (“Squid Game”) in 2022, Josh O’Connor (“The Crown”) in 2021, Jeremy Strong (“Succession”) in 2020 and Billy Porter (“Pose”) in 2019. Find out who will be in the running to join this esteemed list when the Primetime Emmy nominations are announced on July 17, 2024.
PREDICT the 2024 Emmy nominees through July 17
Make your predictions at Gold Derby now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone devices or Android (Google Play) to compete against legions of other fans plus our experts and editors for best prediction accuracy scores. See our latest prediction champs. Can you top our esteemed leaderboards next? Always remember to keep your predictions updated because they impact our latest racetrack odds, which terrify Hollywood chiefs and stars. Don’t miss the fun. Speak up and share your huffy opinions in our famous forums where 5,000 showbiz leaders lurk every day to track latest awards buzz. Everybody wants to know: What do you think? Who do you predict and why?
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