Tom Pelphrey knows better than most people how much it can mean to be nominated for an Emmy — because he knows what it’s like to think you’ll get nominated and then… not be.
Pelphrey won raves and awards attention for his breakout turn on season three of Ozark in 2020, a performance that seemed so assured of an Emmy recognition that Netflix even delivered a huge package to Pelphrey’s house to congratulate him on his first-time nomination.
It was just too bad he wasn’t nominated.
“This gets better,” Pelphrey tells me on this week’s episode of the Prestige Junkie podcast, recounting the day he was snubbed six years ago. “That year, the nominations were slightly delayed, and they took place on my birthday. You cannot make it up.” Not only was Pelphrey not nominated, but “nobody calls, nobody says anything,” he remembers. “You’re like, ‘It is also my birthday!’”
By pure coincidence, it’s Pelphrey’s birthday today, presumably a much happier one than he had back in 2020. The newly turned 44-year-old is an Emmy nominee this year in the best supporting actor in a drama category for his harrowing turn on HBO’s Task — and, don’t worry, he eventually received a guest actor nomination for his Ozark performance, too, in 2022. But he promises that not getting nominated for Ozark the first time was a lesson worth learning.
“Everything about Ozark, from getting the job to filming the job all the way through to getting to hear people’s reactions — every single part of that job was positive,” he says. “I’m not gonna let something that’s out of my control introduce a negative into something that was so beautiful.”
In our conversation, Pelphrey also uses “beautiful” to describe the process of working on Task, the thriller in which he plays Robbie, a criminal with a conscience opposite Mark Ruffalo’s FBI agent — though neither of their characters is remotely as simple as those roles imply. When he first read the script from creator Brad Ingelsby, Pelphrey says, “I felt like I understood Robbie immediately. I just knew exactly who he was.” Pelphrey grew up in New Jersey, within driving distance of Delaware County, Pa., where Task is set.
“It’s funny, I was trying to erase some stuff on my phone the other day, and I found my Task audition,” he adds. “ I just feel like this guy lives inside of me.”
Today’s episode also includes a very fun two-part crossover event with our friends at This Had Oscar Buzz, with hosts Joe Reid and Chris Feil joining Christopher Rosen and me for the Who’s Next Oscar Draft — where we tried to figure out which actors and actresses are best positioned to win an Oscar within the next 10 years.
On this episode, you can hear the first four categories of our draft — which include things like hottest Brit and Aussie stars, three-time Oscar losers due for a win and actors likely in the race this year (hello, Tom Cruise!). To hear the second half right away, subscribe to the This Had Oscar Buzz Patreon feed, Turbulent Brilliance. Or, if you want to wait because it’s just too much fun for one sitting, check back here next Monday, when we’ll post the second half in our own special bonus episode. No matter how you listen, we’re dying to hear what you think of our picks!
