Skip to content

Top Navigation

EW.com EW.com
    • All TV
    • TV Reviews
    • TV Reunions
    • Recaps
    • What to Watch
    • Winter TV
    • Comedy
    • Crime
    • Drama
    • Family
    • Horror
    • Reality
    • Sci-fi
    • Thriller
    • All Movies
    • Movie Reviews
    • Trailers
    • Film Festivals
    • Movie Reunions
    • Movie Previews
    • All Music
    • Music Reviews
    • All What to Watch
    • What to Watch Podcast Episodes
    • TV Reviews
    • Movie Reviews
    • All BINGE
    • EW's Binge Podcast Episodes
    • Recaps
    • Survivor
    • This is Us
    • RuPaul's Drag Race
    • Stranger Things
    • The Boys
    • The Blacklist
    • The Walking Dead
    • Better Call Saul
    • All The Awardist
    • The Awardist Podcast Episodes
    • Oscars
    • Emmys
    • Golden Globes
    • SAG Awards
    • Grammys
    • Tony Awards
    • All Books
    • Book Reviews
    • Author Interviews
    • All Theater
    • Theater Reviews
  • Podcasts
  • Gaming
    • All Events
    • Comic-Con
  • Celebrity
  • Streaming

Profile Menu

Your Profile

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout
Login
Subscribe

Explore EW.com

EW.com EW.com
  • Explore

    Explore

    • A guide to The Last of Us Easter eggs

      A guide to The Last of Us Easter eggs

      From the Uncharted lighter to the giraffe plushie. Read More
    • 2023 Oscars predictions: See who will win at the 95th Academy Awards

      2023 Oscars predictions: See who will win at the 95th Academy Awards

      From Brendan Fraser and Angela Bassett to a potential upset in Best Actress, see who EW thinks will win at the 2023 Oscars. Read More
    • Meet the cast of Survivor 44

      Meet the cast of Survivor 44

      Here are the 18 contestants who will be vying for $1 million. Read More
  • TV

    TV

    See All TV
    • TV Reviews
    • TV Reunions
    • Recaps
    • What to Watch
    • Winter TV
    • Comedy
    • Crime
    • Drama
    • Family
    • Horror
    • Reality
    • Sci-fi
    • Thriller
  • Movies

    Movies

    See All Movies
    • Movie Reviews
    • Trailers
    • Film Festivals
    • Movie Reunions
    • Movie Previews
  • Music

    Music

    See All Music
    • Music Reviews
  • What to Watch

    What to Watch

    See All What to Watch
    • What to Watch Podcast Episodes
    • TV Reviews
    • Movie Reviews
  • BINGE

    BINGE

    See All BINGE
    • EW's Binge Podcast Episodes
    • Recaps
    • Survivor
    • This is Us
    • RuPaul's Drag Race
    • Stranger Things
    • The Boys
    • The Blacklist
    • The Walking Dead
    • Better Call Saul
  • The Awardist

    The Awardist

    See All The Awardist
    • The Awardist Podcast Episodes
    • Oscars
    • Emmys
    • Golden Globes
    • SAG Awards
    • Grammys
    • Tony Awards
  • Books

    Books

    See All Books
    • Book Reviews
    • Author Interviews
  • Theater

    Theater

    See All Theater
    • Theater Reviews
  • Podcasts
  • Gaming
  • Events

    Events

    See All Events
    • Comic-Con
  • Celebrity
  • Streaming

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Profile

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home
  2. Gallery
  3. Emmys: 15 Actresses We're Rooting For

Emmys: 15 Actresses We're Rooting For

So many good performances, so few nominations available -- EW makes a case for women whose work this year merits a serious look
By EW Staff Updated April 25, 2013 at 04:00 AM EDT
Skip gallery slides
FB

1 of 15

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Vera Farmiga, Bates Motel

We all know that Psycho 's Norman Bates famously had mommy issues — and now we know why, thanks to Farmiga's full-bodied performance as mamaÂ…
Credit: Joseph Lederer/A&E

We all know that Psycho's Norman Bates famously had mommy issues — and now we know why, thanks to Farmiga's full-bodied performance as mama Norma to teenage Norman (Finding Neverland's Freddie Highmore) on A&E's prequel series Bates Motel. Desperately clinging to her son like a manic depressive lioness, she portrays both a formidable heroine and an unstable mess. —Tim Stack

1 of 15

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 15

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Robin Wright, House of Cards

Imagine Lady Macbeth styled by Prada — that's Wright's Claire Underwood. The power-hungry wife of the equally Machiavellian Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey), Claire was neverÂ…
Credit: Melinda Sue Gordon/Netflix

Imagine Lady Macbeth styled by Prada — that's Wright's Claire Underwood. The power-hungry wife of the equally Machiavellian Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey), Claire was never more terrifying than when she paid a visit to Frank's source and mistress Zoe Barnes (Kate Mara) and cowed the young blogger in one quick lap around her apartment. —Tim Stack

2 of 15

3 of 15

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Casey Wilson, Happy Endings

Like her monetary namesake, Penny Hartz is shiny, cheap (in the sluttiest sense of course!) and often undervalued — but only because her ah-mahz-ing alterÂ…
Credit: Carol Kaelson/ABC

Like her monetary namesake, Penny Hartz is shiny, cheap (in the sluttiest sense of course!) and often undervalued — but only because her ah-mahz-ing alter ego, Wilson, plays her so effortlessly. Penny's streak of bad luck — landing in a body cast and being Misery'd to ''health'' by her best friend, breaking off an engagement with a perfect guy — has been comic copper for viewers. So Emmy voters, heed the penny's motto and, ''E pluribus unum!'' — which, roughly translated from the Latin means ''Pick Penny!'' or ''The Year of Penny'' or ''Happy Endings rules!'' We think. We were never real good at Latin. —Henry Goldblatt

3 of 15

Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

4 of 15

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Carrie Preston, The Good Wife

No show casts guest stars quite like the CBS legal drama. Fellow Wife guest Martha Plimpton won last year, and Preston's brilliant take as theÂ…
Credit: David M. Russell/CBS

No show casts guest stars quite like the CBS legal drama. Fellow Wife guest Martha Plimpton won last year, and Preston's brilliant take as the quirky redheaded lawyer Elsbeth Tascioni deserves recognition too. She flawlessly balances Elsbeth's genius with her crazy, giving Wife some of its best one-liners (''I don't know how I know half the things I know!'') and scene-stealing moments. —Breia Brissey

4 of 15

Advertisement

5 of 15

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Regina King, Southland

For five seasons, King has harmonized the ferocity of a take-no-prisoners L.A. cop with the fragility of an unmarried workaholic. This year, King's Lydia lostÂ…
Credit: Doug Hyun/TNT

For five seasons, King has harmonized the ferocity of a take-no-prisoners L.A. cop with the fragility of an unmarried workaholic. This year, King's Lydia lost her mother and was left to raise a newborn son alone. Her fearless (and criminally unrecognized) portrayal of a crumbling woman with a touch exterior was simply heartbreaking. —Samantha Highfill

5 of 15

6 of 15

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Hayden Panettiere, Nashville

Hayden Panettiere Nashville
Credit: Katherine Bomboy-Thornton/ABC

As country-pop starlet Juliette Barnes, Panettiere is such a spoiled brat you can practically see the evil gleaming off her freshly whitened teeth. So when her mother falls off the wagon at Deacon's (Charles Esten) party, you'd be forgiven for bracing yourself for a big, reserve-my-Emmy-now! melodramatic crying scene. But Panettiere swings the other way instead, matter-of-factly admitting that she once left her drugged-out mother behind in a house fire: ''I wanted her to die.'' She does it without an ounce of remorse or self-pity, and that restraint makes this scene way more chilling than any breakdown would. Bless her heart, this sweet little blonde thing is cold. —Melissa Maerz

6 of 15

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

7 of 15

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Sarah Paulson, American Horror Story: Asylum

By the end of Asylum 's 13 episodes, Paulson's Lana Winters — the survivor of both Briarcliff Manor and a serial killer named Bloody FaceÂ…
Credit: FX

By the end of Asylum's 13 episodes, Paulson's Lana Winters — the survivor of both Briarcliff Manor and a serial killer named Bloody Face — had emerged as the soul of the series. The actress delivered a tour de force performance, playing the cunning reporter at various stages of her life, including a ripe (yet still feisty) 75 years old. —Tim Stack

7 of 15

Advertisement
Advertisement

8 of 15

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Natalie Dormer, Game of Thrones

In a show that involves far-flung lands, multiple invented languages, and dragons, it can be hard for a mere mortal to stand out. As theÂ…
Credit: HBO

In a show that involves far-flung lands, multiple invented languages, and dragons, it can be hard for a mere mortal to stand out. As the slyly manipulative Margaery Tyrell, Dormer has always been entertaining, but now that she's made the move to King's Landing she has a far more elevated stage on which to charm and seduce. With a twitch of her nose and a few scraps of fabric, she's made one of the most interesting dynamics on the show — that of cruel Queen Regent Cersei (Lena Headey) and her sociopath of a son King Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) — even more compelling. As the scene where Margaery takes Joffrey's crossbow out for a spin proves, the girl's got game. —Meeta Agrawal

8 of 15

Advertisement

9 of 15

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Monica Potter, Parenthood

Image
Credit: Vivian Zink/NBC

Potter doesn't deserve an Emmy because her character Kristina Braverman has cancer. She deserves an Emmy because she takes a wordless scene — shaving her head of hair that is rapidly falling out on its own, thank you very little, chemo — and turns it into a display of bravery, sadness, inspiration, destruction, resignation, and defiance. The camera lingers on her face as she confronts each different emotion because it can. She's that good. Even with the worst prosthetic bald head since Coneheads. —Jessica Shaw

9 of 15

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

10 of 15

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Abigail Spencer, Rectify

When you first see Spencer's Amantha Holden, she's such a chain-smoking nervous wreck, you'd think she was the one on death row. But all thatÂ…
Credit: Blake Tyers/Sundance Channel

When you first see Spencer's Amantha Holden, she's such a chain-smoking nervous wreck, you'd think she was the one on death row. But all that frenetic energy is just her way of being excited, terrified, and overjoyed that her brother is being released from nearly two decades behind bars. Even in a miniseries about death, Spencer steals every scene as a riveting force of life. —Jessica Shaw

10 of 15

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

11 of 15

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Elisabeth Moss, Top of the Lake

In Jane Campion's tense and stellar detective mystery, Moss is equal parts fierce and wounded. Never more so than during a scene at her hometownÂ…
Credit: Jane Campion/Sundance Channel

In Jane Campion's tense and stellar detective mystery, Moss is equal parts fierce and wounded. Never more so than during a scene at her hometown bar when she confronts a dirtbag who raped her years ago. First she's flirtatious, willing the sod to drop his guard, and then she smashes a glass on him, letting loose a guttural howl of rage. It's a primal, perfectly calibrated performance, and one that proves Moss is so much more than our beloved Peggy on Mad Men. —Karen Valby

11 of 15

Advertisement
Advertisement

12 of 15

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Parker Posey, Louie

Is this woman a genius or a crazy person? You'll ask yourself that question many times while watching Posey's can't-tear-your-eyes-away performance as a freakshow bookstoreÂ…
Credit: FX

Is this woman a genius or a crazy person? You'll ask yourself that question many times while watching Posey's can't-tear-your-eyes-away performance as a freakshow bookstore clerk on a date with the show's leading man Louie (comedian Louis C.K.). She makes this character so deeply layered that you'll keep changing your answer, whether she's declaring with wild-eyed delight, ''You're fat, and I have no tits — let's be honest!'' (genius!) or forcing Louie to try on a cocktail dress and then laughing maniacally at him for complying (crazy/genius!) or leaning just a little too far over the edge of a rooftop (just crazy!). ''I don't want to jump?I would never do that,'' she insists, as her expression slowly changes from happy to borderline suicidal, then back to normal again. Right up until the credits roll, you're wondering: Would she? —Melissa Maerz

12 of 15

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

13 of 15

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Sarah Burns, Enlightened

Sarah Burns Enlightened
Credit: HBO

You know that friend you have who everyone else hates? And you know how sickening it feels every time that friend drops by to strike up a (totally passive-aggressive) conversation, while you sit there and suck it up? Well, imagine that happening when you're nine months pregnant and just had a seizure and absolutely cannot handle any more stress. As Krista — the former assistant of human powder keg Amy (Laura Dern) — Burns captures that experience in all its cringe-worthy glory. When Amy drops by to visit Krista in the hospital, Burns' expression slowly transitions from confused, to panicked, to incredulous, to utterly terrified, all without saying much at all. If there was an Emmy for face acting, she would've won five by now. —Melissa Maerz

13 of 15

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

14 of 15

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Sigourney Weaver, Political Animals

USA's soapy summer series about a dysfunctional-but-powerful D.C. family may have only had one brief, six-episode run, but Weaver deserves Emmy recognition for her bold,Â…
Credit: David Giesbrecht/USA Network

USA's soapy summer series about a dysfunctional-but-powerful D.C. family may have only had one brief, six-episode run, but Weaver deserves Emmy recognition for her bold, lively turn as matriarch and Secretary of State Elaine Barrish. The actress was touchingly moving and inherently believable as a woman struggling between her job ambitions — which included running for President — and her family's best interest. —Tim Stack

14 of 15

Advertisement
Advertisement

15 of 15

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Maggie Siff, Sons of Anarchy

Jax's old lady Tara has always been the character to whom viewers relate most: As long as this strong, intelligent woman is willing to stayÂ…
Credit: FX

Jax's old lady Tara has always been the character to whom viewers relate most: As long as this strong, intelligent woman is willing to stay in this outlaw world, it's safe for us to play in it, too. In season 5, Siff had to simultaneously steel and unravel Tara to the point that we wanted her to get out — with or without Jax. Even as she lost her chance to flee in the finale, she could only show cracks. ''He's crying,'' she said, struggling to comprehend that Tara couldn't go comfort her baby because she was being led away in handcuffs. In that moment, we also felt punished. —Mandi Bierly

15 of 15

Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By EW Staff

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 15 Vera Farmiga, Bates Motel
    2 of 15 Robin Wright, House of Cards
    3 of 15 Casey Wilson, Happy Endings
    4 of 15 Carrie Preston, The Good Wife
    5 of 15 Regina King, Southland
    6 of 15 Hayden Panettiere, Nashville
    7 of 15 Sarah Paulson, American Horror Story: Asylum
    8 of 15 Natalie Dormer, Game of Thrones
    9 of 15 Monica Potter, Parenthood
    10 of 15 Abigail Spencer, Rectify
    11 of 15 Elisabeth Moss, Top of the Lake
    12 of 15 Parker Posey, Louie
    13 of 15 Sarah Burns, Enlightened
    14 of 15 Sigourney Weaver, Political Animals
    15 of 15 Maggie Siff, Sons of Anarchy

    Share & More

    Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message
    EW.com

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
    • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
    • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
    • Accolades this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    Meredith© Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright EW.com. All rights reserved. Printed from https://ew.com

    View image

    Emmys: 15 Actresses We're Rooting For
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.