BENJAMONSTER AWARDS 2021: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Today's award is Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series!

Check out the nominees and winner from 2020!

This year's nominees are:

GILLIAN ANDERSON as Margaret Thatcher in The Crown (Netflix)

ADJOAH ANDOH as Lady Danbury in Bridgerton (Netflix)

MADELINE BREWER as Janine Lindo in The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu)

NICOLA COUGHLAN as Penelope Featherington in Bridgerton (Netflix)

DOMINIQUE JACKSON as Elektra in Pose (FX)

SONYA WALGER as Molly Cobb in For All Mankind (Apple TV+)

SUSAN KELECHI WATSON as Beth Pearson in This is Us (NBC)

And the Winner Is...

GILLIAN ANDERSON

The Crown (Netflix)

When the fourth season of The Crown first aired, it seemed as though there was a divided reaction to Gillian Anderson's portrayal of Margaret Thatcher. The tide seems to have turned towards mostly acclaim in the months since but count me among those who found it fascinating to begin with. Although I knew about Thatcher, I don't really consider myself knowledgeable about British history and I was very taken by Anderson's portrayal and have since watched clips of the real Thatcher and been even more impressed because it wasn't a straight impression, it was capturing the essence of the real life figure. While Anderson made Thatcher a sympathetic figure at times, she also reveled in the "Iron Lady" persona and didn't make her out to be something she wasn't. I ended the season with conflicted feelings about Thatcher which I think was sort of the point and it mattered thanks to Anderson's dynamic portrayal.

Thoughts on the Rest of the Nominees:

There were a lot of strong supporting nominees in this category. Returning nominee Susan Kelechi Watson continues to be the heart and soul and humor of This is Us. Dominique Jackson occasionally veered into being a caricature on Pose but even as her character had more and more things go right for her, Dominique Jackson gave more nuance to her performance in the final season. Madeline Brewer was given a ton of material for the fourth season of The Handmaid's Tale and turned in another strong performance in an even bigger role. Sonya Walger has been an underrated piece of the For All Mankind ensemble and had a great story arc that I wish they had done more with. Finally, Adjoah Andoh and Nicola Coughlan were two very strong supporting characters among many in Bridgerton. Andoh in particular was an underrated member of the cast.

Tomorrow: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited/Anthology Series!