As depicted on the wildly entertaining Paramount+ series “The Offer,” the group that got together to make “The Godfather” was not necessarily on top of the world before the legendary Best Picture winner was released. Instead, people like producer Al Ruddy, director Francis Ford Coppola, and executive Robert Evans, struggled at first to be taken seriously.
“They’re a band of misfits,” Miles Teller, who plays Ruddy on the series, previously told Gold Derby. “They’re all kind of underdogs in their own right. Not a lot of people bet on any of them. They kind of got their one really big shot and they took it.”
So when it comes to Emmy Awards consideration, maybe it couldn’t have been any other way. Because despite its solid execution and an awards-friendly premise – an insider look at Hollywood and a show about the creative process – “The Offer” has struggled to gain traction as a top contender in the crowded limited series categories. In the combined odds here at Gold Derby, “The Offer” ranks 14th for limited series, 15th in Best Actor for Teller, 14th in Best Supporting Actress for Juno Temple (who plays Bettye McCart), and 10th for Best Supporting Actor for Matthew Goode (who plays Evans). Of the group, Goode has the best chance, and rightly so: his transformative work as Evans is fantastic. The English actor not only affects Evans’ recognizable accent but gets to run the gamut of emotions, from the highs of Evans’ success as Paramount boss to the low of his split from actress Ali McGraw. “I got to turn him up to 11,” Goode told Gold Derby previously about playing Evans, “which is an awful lot of fun for me.”
That goes double for the audience. Goode is a joy to watch on the series — an unleashed id who lands every punchline and delights in each line read. In interviews, the actor – a previous Emmy nominee in 2018 for a guest role on “The Crown” – has come across as positively delighted to have gotten the opportunity. As the legend goes, the production actually approached Goode for a different role, but he was eventually cast as Evans without even having to audition.
“They said, ‘You’re playing Bob Evans. We’re not asking why. Clearly, a big star has pulled out or something, but it’s you. And we said yes on your behalf,’” Goode recalled to Gold Derby. “It was quite daunting, but it’s good when you get to your mid-40s to have a bit of fear in your belly and to have something that is a challenge. You don’t always necessarily get stretched with every particular role you have, it doesn’t mean that you don’t put the same amount of effort into it. But this one required quite a lot of work.”
It’s work that should have Goode comfortably in position for a nomination. Few actors in his category were given the chance to go so big and stick the landing. Of course, this take comes with an unwritten bias: I have Goode not only receiving an Emmy nomination for “The Offer” but winning the category as well. Why not? This year’s supporting categories for limited series will have seven nominees, increasing Goode’s chances – especially since outside of “The White Lotus” star Murray Bartlett, it feels like any number of worthy contenders could wind up being recognized. Plus, if Goode gets the nomination, he could go far. After all, as the real Evans once said, it’s all about staying in the picture.
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