BENJAMONSTER AWARDS: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited/Anthology Series

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

The nominees are:

RUSSELL CROWE as Roger Ailes in The Loudest Voice (Showtime)

EKA DARVILLE as Beau Morris in Tell Me A Story (CBS All Access)

CHRIS EVANS as Andy Barber in Defending Jacob (Apple TV+)

MATTHEW MCFADYEN as Charles Ingram in Quiz (AMC)

MARK RUFFALO as Dominick & Thomas Birdsey in I Know This Much is True (HBO)

MORGAN SPECTOR as Herman Levin in The Plot Against America (HBO)

And the Winner Is...
RUSSELL CROWE
The Loudest Voice (Showtime)
This was an interesting category (more on that below) and I know not everyone was a fan of The Loudest Voice, but I really enjoyed the limited series and walked away very impressed with how Russell Crowe transformed himself to play Roger Ailes. It's not easy to play a real person who most accept now as a villain. Crowe did a great job of making him interesting and layered without making him a sympathetic character. He also played the character from an ambitious man in the mid 90s to a man on the brink of death and also losing everything he built in 2016. I watched an interview with Ailes after watching the series and I don't know if I'd say it was a perfect impression in terms of mannerisms or voice, but he certainly captured the ugly truths and also complicated nuances of a media giant.

Thoughts on the Rest of the Nominees:
This was an interesting category because several of the most nominated shows were female-heavy so three nominees in this category were the only nominee from their show. Mark Ruffalo was certainly impressive playing two different roles in I Know This Much is True, but I have to be honest that I couldn't get through the whole series and didn't feel as though I could award it to Ruffalo for that reason. Eka Darville was a steady and strong presence in the most interesting storyline in the second season of Tell Me A Story while Matthew Mcfadyen brought a lot of humor and intrigue as the weaselly Charles Ingram in Quiz. Among actors who were from shows that received other nominations, Chris Evans was a strong threat to Crowe with his tortured role in Defending Jacob. He brought his movie star gravitas to make a standard kidnapping drama more compelling. Finally, Morgan Spector was engaging as Herman Levin in The Plot Against America, a man with a lot of serious convictions who ended up being right about most things.

Tomorrow: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series!