https://www.tumblr.com/xxgothchatonxx/807853694402052096/sadly-i-am-not-surprised-sam-reid-didnt-win-the
Curious what you think about this. Obviously he's not as big a name as Jacob Elordi, and Anna Torv is pretty known after The Last of Us and all that, but I feel like he's become a much more known name in the last couple years? AACTAs, Critics Choice, general attention for the newsreader and IWTV....
Mmm, I don't think it's necessarily about how big the name is - I just mentioned it in my last post, but Felix Cameron won last year as a virtual newcomer, and he won over Sam Neill, Brendan Cowell and Rob Collins, who are all very beloved stars, and Sam's obviously famous internationally too - but I do think that it plays a role.
I think to say that that's the only reason though oversimplifies things. I'd say the Narrow Road sweep is the product of a few things:
Australia has a very big cultural attachment to WWI and WWII for reasons that it would take me far too long to explain, haha. Put as simply as possible (and as I mentioned the other day), WWI is the first time Australia had it's own army, so there's really complex national baggage with it, which is extended to WWII. As a result, stories about WWI and WWII tend to do really well and it's really all pretty twisted up in Australia's colonial identity, which means those stories are generally going to be awarded.
Australia has intense youngest-sibling energy as a country, whether that's because of how comparatively-late the country was colonised, the fact that we're not a republic, or our status as a middle power or all three is anyone's guess, but the result is attention and accolades from the US and Europe tend to result in things and people getting awarded and rewarded. The AACTAs are not immune to that by any stretch of the imagination. Narrow Road got international attention, not just as a show but as a book - it won the Man Booker Prize in 2014. Jacob's Globe nomination for this show, and his Oscar nomination for Frankenstein would've helped too.
It looks and feels like a prestige show that Should Be Awarded, and Justin Kurzel is a prestige director.
It appeals to a very specific type of Australian machismo which The Newsreader and Dale specifically do not. That brand of machismo is literally what Kurzel makes movies/shows about and is a part of my issue with him, which I talked about way back in Feb last year here. Australian men in particular love that, and I imagine the male voters would have too.
The show does have good parts / was well made, even if I didn't like the whole.
And yes, the name recognition generally would've played a role, both for the show itself, and for Jacob.
Sam's definitely become a bigger name, but he's also still coming into it on what are two fairly niche shows. Jacob's had widespread hits at this point, between Euphoria and Frankenstein. It's disappointing that that would take priority, but it just is what it is, and unfortunately isn't all that surprising.
