Connie Britton - "Vivien Harmon", American Horror Story
Romola Garai - "Bel Rowley", The Hour
Nicole Kidman - "Martha Gellhorn", Hemingway and Gellhorn
Julianne Moore - "Sarah Palin", Game Change
Emily Watson - "Janet Leach", Appropriate Adult
Britton undoubtedly gets credit because I already like her, but also for rolling with the punches on a show that threw everything and the kitchen sink at her character. Garai infused Bel with professional competence, making the shaky-personal-life/good-at-her-job character seem like less of a cliche than it might have. I didn't love Hemingway and Gellhorn, but Kidman honored her character's intelligence and her impatience with other people's bullshit. Moore portrayed Palin without judging her or making the fish-out-of-water aspect of her story too cartoonish, grounding the narrative even when the movie didn't quite seem to know why they thought what they were doing was important. Watson completed Appropriate Adult's mesmerizing destructive dyad, making clear Janet's feelings about her responsibilities to the situation of representing Fred and attempting to get some version of the truth out of him, even as events spiraled out of control.
Honorable Mention: Rachel Weisz, Page Eight
I Wouldn't Be Surprised to See: Patricia Clarkson, Five; Ashley Judd, Missing; Clemence Poesy, Birdsong; Emma Thompson, The Song of Lunch; Jeanne Tripplehorn, Five
Five is some sort of Lifetime short film collection/anthology thing? As with many Lifetime properties, various of the names involved are just well-known enough to throw doubt on how significant a contender they may ultimately be.
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