BENJAMONSTER AWARDS 2021: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited/Anthology Series

Today's award is Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited/Anthology Series!

Check out the nominees and winner from 2020!

This year's nominees are...

MICHAELA COEL as Arabella on I May Destroy You (HBO)

ANNA KENDRICK as Darby on Love Life (HBO Max)

KATE MARA as Claire Wilson on A Teacher (FX on Hulu)

ELIZABETH OLSEN as Wanda Maximoff on WandaVision (Disney+)

ANYA TAYLOR-JOY as Beth Harmon on The Queen's Gambit (Netflix)

KATE WINSLET as Mare Sheehan on Mare of Easttown (HBO)

And the Winner Is...

KATE WINSLET

Mare of Easttown (HBO)

The Lead Actress category is stacked and this was a very tough decision but the honors go to Kate Winslet for elevating the murder mystery genre that has been so common on TV in the last few years. Winslet's portrayal as a grieving Detective made the show so much more of a character drama than it would have been with a less capable actress leading the way. Sometimes her character was determined, sometimes she was apathetic. Sometimes she was angry, sometimes she was sad, sometimes she was laughing hilariously at her mother. Winslet portrayed every human emotion with such realness. Although Winslet is British, her portrayal of an Eastern Pennsylvania detective could not have seemed more real. There was no glamour to her portrayal, just honesty.

Thoughts on the Rest of the Nominees:

As I mentioned, this was a very stacked category. A close second would belong to Anya Taylor-Joy, who was captivating throughout The Queen's Gambit and the perfect choice for an unorthodox chess prodigy. Elizabeth Olsen deftly navigated TV sitcom history throughout WandaVision with an effective mix of comedy and grief. I wasn't as big a fan of I May Destroy You as many were but there's no denying that Michaela Coel gave a heart-wrenching performance in her very intimate series. Kate Mara had a really difficult role as a teacher having an affair with a student. While her performance did perhaps provide some context, she never crossed the line into being a sympathetic character and her coldness was necessary for the series to work. Finally, I am often a big fan of Anna Kendrick and I thought she made Love Life a whole lot better than it might have been with an honest portrayal of a young woman looking for life.

Tomorrow: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series!