Damon Lindelof’s adaptation of the “Watchmen” comics at HBO caught attention from Emmy voters this year with its incisive exploration of race and policing, storylines which now seem especially timely in a year dominated by Black Lives Matter protests and a renewed sense of urgency in the fight for racial justice.
But even before the death of George Floyd sparked mass nationwide protests earlier this summer, “Watchmen” star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II knew the show would present some hard truths.
“I think ‘Watchmen’ was uncomfortable material for a lot of people,” Abdul-Mateen said during TheWrap’s supporting actor nominees showcase on Tuesday, alongside fellow “Watchmen” stars and Emmy nominees Jovan Adepo and Louis Gossett Jr.
“I knew from day one that our show would be polarizing,” he said. “I knew that a lot of people would love our show, I knew that a lot of people would hate our show, but I knew that our show would be honest.”
Abdul-Mateen and Adepo both praised Lindelof for his willingness to step back and let others take the lead.
“I’m really happy and really proud to know someone like Damon who has always been someone who has, to me anyway, expressed that, yes, I’ve done my work and my research but this is something that I do know, I am not familiar with and nobody in my family has experienced directly,” Adepo said. “So let me sit back, open my ears, close my mouth and let the people whose family may or may not have been directly affected by this, let them express what it’s like.”
“One of the things that we’re seeing right now in our world is the horrible, horrible truths coming to the front,” said Abdul-Mateen.
He cited the recent death of George Floyd at the hands of police as an example of the “gruesome” reality Black Americans face in this country, going back generations and still to this day. “It was undeniable. For anyone who watched that tape, who watched the footage, the horror of that was absolutely completely undeniable,” he said.
“‘Watchmen,’ as much as it was right on time,” Abdul-Mateen said, “it was 50 years too late, and it was also a year ahead of itself.”
Gossett, 84, who participated in the civil rights movement of the 1950s and ’60s, said that the current wave of protests does harken back to that decades-old struggle, with one key difference.
“The first civil rights movement … it was kind of scary, we needed to be brave,” he said. “No fear this time; the fear is gone. That’s the only way to go, the only way to survive — together.”
“Our show, from my perspective, was a lot about making people uncomfortable,” Abdul-Mateen said. “Calling out what we see, calling out what we know and giving it a name. And not letting the answer just be conversation or hearing both sides. Because it’s far too late for that. It’s time for action.”
“We need to find our own superpowers, so to speak, and suit up and join the army,” he continued. “Because it’s about time that we identify where we will be when it’s time to really make the change.”
Watch the full conversation with “Watchmen” stars Abdul-Mateen, Gossett and Adepo above or click here.
Emmy Nominations 2020: Snubs and Surprises, From Bob Odenkirk to Baby Yoda (Photos)
Between Elisabeth Moss and Bob Odenkirk getting pushed out of their respective categories and an unexpected nomination for "What We Do in the Shadows," Tuesday's Emmy nominations announcement came with more than its share of surprises.
Surprise: "What We Do in the Shadows" FX's series adaptation of the vampire mockumetary from Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi only secured two below the line nominations for its first season, but it's second outing scored big with eight nominations, including an Outstanding Comedy Series nod.
FX
Surprise: "The Mandalorian" Drama heavyweight "Game of Thrones" was out of the running this year, leaving room for a new series to sneak in among a slew of past nominees like "Better Call Saul," "The Handmaid's Tale" and "The Crown." But instead of Apple TV+'s "The Morning Show," voters went with a different new streaming service, nominated Disney+'s "The Mandalorian."
Disney+
Snub: Bob Odenkirk, "Better Call Saul" Odenkirk has been a perennial nominee in the lead actor category since 2015, but this year the "Better Call Saul" star was overlooked in favor of a pair of actors from "Succession" and "The Morning Show" star Steve Carell.
AMC
Snub: Elisabeth Moss, "The Handmaid's Tale" Moss won the award for lead actress in a drama series in 2017 and has been nominated numerous times in the past, but, like "This Is Us" star Mandy Moore and "How to Get Away With Murder's" Viola Davis, failed to make the cut for the most recent season of "Handmaid's Tale."
Hulu
Surprise: Zendaya, "Euphoria" In a category comprised mostly of returning players, dark horse candidate Zendaya managed to sneak a lead actress nod for her role on the HBO drama "Euphoria," slipping in alongside fellow category newcomer Jennifer Aniston of "The Morning Show."
HBO
Snub: "Big Little Lies" HBO's Liane Moriarty adaptation was the belle of awards season in 2017, all but sweeping the limited series categories with its roster of big-name stars including Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon. But Season 2's move to the drama series category hurt the show, leaving "Big Little Lies" with only two nominations for supporting stars Laura Dern and Meryl Streep.
HBO
Surprise: "The Masked Singer" Fox's absurdist singing competition finally became too big for Emmy voters to ignore in Season 2, shaking up the Oustanding Competition Program category with 10-time winner "The Amazing Race" ineligible this year.
Fox
Snub: "Westworld" Turns out "Westworld" wasn't the "Game of Thrones" successor HBO hoped iy would be, earning only two acting nods for its third season, for supporting actors Thandie Newton and Jeffrey Wright, and missing out on the marquee drama series category entirely.
HBO
Snub: Kaitlyn Dever, Merritt Wever, "Unbelievable" For much of the voting period, the two stars of Netflix's harrowing "Unbelievable" seemed like locks for lead actress in a limited series nominations, but neither made the cut in a crowded category, not even TV Academy darling Merritt Wever, who has twice before pulled out a surprise upset on Emmy night.
Netflix
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”Better Call Saul“ and ”The Handmaid’s Tale“ leads miss out, while ”What We Do in the Shadows“ sneaks in
Between Elisabeth Moss and Bob Odenkirk getting pushed out of their respective categories and an unexpected nomination for "What We Do in the Shadows," Tuesday's Emmy nominations announcement came with more than its share of surprises.