Two years ago, Alexander Skarsgard took home his first Emmy Award when he claimed Best Limited Series/TV Movie Supporting Actor for “Big Little Lies.” Now his dad Stellan Skarsgard can keep it all in the family by winning the same category for “Chernobyl.”
The elder Skarsgard received his first Emmy nomination Tuesday, which might come as a surprise to some since he’s such a prolific veteran actor. His nomination for his performance as Boris Shcherbina is one of 19 bids for “Chernobyl,” which leads the limited series/TV movie field.
Numerous parents and children have won Emmys before — Carl and Rob Reiner, Christopher and Amanda Plummer, Lucille Ball and Lucie Arnaz, James and Tyne Daly, Donald and Kiefer Sutherland, and Danny, Marlo and Tony Thomas, to name a few — but they’ve all followed the same pattern: The parent won first, then the offspring. That, obviously, makes sense.
SEE 2019 Emmy nominations: Here’s the complete list of nominees
But the Skarsgards would be the first duo to do the reverse with the parent following in the Emmy-winning footsteps of the child. What’s more, father and son, who won on his maiden nomination, could both prevail for HBO projects that slowly took the world by storm. “Big Little Lies” converted eight of its 16 nominations into wins, including Best Limited Series, and “Chernobyl” could similarly dominate.
Working Stellan’s favor is that he’s the sole nominee from his show. He’s up against three stars from “When They See Us,” which nabbed eight acting nominations, Asante Blackk, John Leguizamo and Michael K. Williams, who could split the vote. Golden Globe champ Ben Whishaw (“A Very English Scandal”) and Paul Dano (“Escape at Dannemora”) are the other nominees.
While Alexander won’t be eligible for Season 2 of “Big Little Lies” until next year, the Skarsgard acting dynasty could’ve had quadruple to celebrate this year. ASkars was submitted in Best Limited Series/TV Movie Actor for “The Little Drummer Girl,” his younger bro Gustaf Skarsgard in contention for a Best Drama Supporting Actor bid for “Vikings,” and Pennywise Bill Skarsgard was right above pops Stellan on the supporting ballot for “Castle Rock.” One day, the Skarsgards will rule us all.
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