The Emmys are proceeding on September 20, though no one is quite sure what the show will look like. Will it be virtual? Will it be nominees only? Is Jimmy Kimmel still hosting or will he be replaced? Many questions, no answers. What we do know is that the award campaign machine is still grinding, if at a slightly different speed than normal. For instance, Variety is still hosting their “Actors on Actors” conversations, but now they’re subtitled “@home” as various hopeful nominees chat on Zoom. Yesterday, “Actors on Actors @home” featured Paul Rudd and Chris Evans, hopeful nominees in the comedy and drama categories, respectively. Their energy is EXTREMELY DAD.
First of all, Rudd looks like he just came in from a run, he is so sweaty when they get started. I legit believe he forgot he had to Zoom with Chris Evans, because no one shows up for a Zoom chat looking like they haven’t showered. Zoom chats are all about convincing everyone that you’re totally maintaining. Save your raggedy looks for Houseparty. Evans looks like he’s wearing deodorant, so point to Evans on preparation. Also, point to Evans for that great cabinet in his house. I paused more than once trying to decide if that is a built-in cabinet or not. Woodworkers of LaineyGossip, weigh in. Minus ten points, though, for not putting his dog on camera. Dodger is the REAL star of the family.
As for the conversation itself, it’s fine. You definitely feel the camaraderie that exists between two people who have made multiple movies together, and the best part of the whole 45 minutes is when Evans talks about getting some of his Marvel castmates to participate in a Grease-themed video he never finished while making Captain America: Civil War. I hope he releases that video, no matter how bad it is. It’s highly unlikely we’re going to get a new Marvel movie this year, so let Chris Evans’ terrible Civil War cast video be the Marvel movie for 2020.
The rest of the conversation is standard “what was it like playing a character different from Captain America” and “what was it like acting opposite yourself”, questions Evans and Rudd have answered dozens of times in different interviews. They seem almost impatient with those questions, clearly prepared by Variety, but when they’re reminiscing about their time together working on Marvel movies, they loosen up and then the dad energy jumps out. It’s most surprising coming from Evans, but once he lets go of that defensive profile persona, he’s got real “weekend BBQ dad” energy. Rudd, on the other hand, has the “just gave up his ice cream cone because his kid dropped theirs” energy. I don’t think either are serious contenders for Emmys—Rudd might be good for a nomination because everyone knows and likes him, and Living With Yourself is an impressive double act—but that doesn’t matter. You can feel how not invested they are in the typical machinery of campaigning right now, which allows the dad energy to take over.
