I wrote this piece last year but it's every bit as valid this year. I have been asked to re-post in as many places as possible, feel free to share or post to any site if you agree with the sentiments. Love ya. Amanda.Emmy Consideration ~ Michael CudlitzSo you all can’t have failed to notice that talk of possible Emmy nominations has ramped up several notches in the past week or so. And you also can’t have failed to notice that Michael Cudlitz is firmly in the center of all the exciting brouhaha.
Excellent, about time and yes, we are all definitely along for the ride as his very own special, hyperactive cheer squad.
Okay, so hands up, we are all a tad biased but the fact that Mr. Cudlitz is pretty much fifty shades of fantastic to us all is neither here nor there.
Yes, we do all have a soft spot for Michael Cudlitz, mainly because over the years he has taken the time to interact with his fans. That, on reflection, does make him a very rare animal indeed considering most in the media spotlight tend to see the various social network sites purely as a cynical exercise in self-promotion, and heaven forbid they actually lower themselves enough to speak to the ‘proles’.
Also we've all noticed the fact that Michael doesn’t take himself too seriously and takes the time to joke and generally ‘tit’ around with us. It's a glorious thing to be involved in and I don’t think I just speak for myself when I say I love the general level of nonsense that ensues around Michael and his 'fans'.
But can I just say that our backing isn’t about rabid fan-boys and girls blindly waving our pom-poms in support because Cudlitz is ‘a nice guy’.
Nope, our unwavering support is about an excellent actor getting the recognition he so rightly deserves.
In Michael Cudlitz we don't get some ‘Johnny come lately’ who has bust onto the scene in a blaze of media driven publicity only to be forgotten a year down the line when it’s discovered that they are, in fact, a one trick pony and can't stay the distance.
No, here is an actor who has steadily produced many fantastic, and varied performances throughout the years. From the wonderful, poetry spouting Bob Destepello in ‘Grosse Point Blank' to his unforgettable portrayal of Sgt. Denver ‘Bull’ Randleman in ‘Band of Brothers’…and the less I say about the quite frankly terrifying serial killer Francis Goering from ‘Criminal Minds’ the better!
But that said, it is Michael’s portrayal of Officer John Cooper, which is undoubtedly the standout performance so far in his career.
He gives a subtle and restrained performance throughout in 'SouthLAnd'. Cudlitz never grandstands as an actor and that is very much in evidence here.
Hmmm, I know that seems an odd thing for me to say, point in case Copper getting into a vapid social workers face over a missing child, literally nose to nose, whilst yelling at her her to ‘do your f*cking job’ ....but bare with me.
Yes, Cooper tends to shout at people, a lot.
That's not exactly subtle, I hear you cry but what I mean is that John Cooper could have so easily become a caricature, the typical cliché of a troubled man that is so quickly trotted out by writers of many a TV show.
The sordid tale of his father’s incarceration for rape and murder, the worried ex-wife, the spiralling out of control analgesic addiction as he fights to gain ascendancy over his cronic back pain. Yes, the ingredients for a hackneyed character in all its dramatic glory but Michael’s portrayal definitely stops Officer Cooper from turning into a pastiche of a 'cop on the edge' we have seen many times before.
Hell, the fact that some so called avid ‘fans’ didn’t realize that John Copper was gay until halfway into the last season plays testament to just how subtle it all is. Yes, part of that is down to the general ambience of ‘SouthLAnd’ but the rest lies firmly at Mr. Cudlitz’ door.
With all the drama surrounding Cooper he could easily have come across as throughly unlikable, heavy work, gimmicky, yet he doesn’t. He feels ‘real’, just another normal guy going through the drudgery and day-to-day motions of life.
Officer Cooper is gay, yes, but that doesn't define his character and that again is mainly down to Mr. Cudlitz but also, thankfully, due to the whole tone of SouthLAnd in the fact that it skims over the private lives of it's protagonists, this is a show about cops being cops first and foremost. SouthLAnd has been very clever in not pushing home the issue of Coopers sexuality and I applaud the powers to be for making that decision because in doing so John comes across as a fully rounded character and not as just a token nod to satisfy and fill a demographic within a TV audience.
So, John Copper is often an irascible, grumpy bastard who just happens to be gay, he doesn’t take fools lightly and yes, can be a total asshole at times but underneath that is a fair man and a good cop and dare I say it, he's very endearing for all his faults. That all comes across on screen thanks to Michael Cudlitz and how he’s chosen to own and mold the character and that is why I think an Emmy nomination is so very much deserved.
So in short, if I were on the panel that decides such things I know whom I’d be nominating and voting for!
Okay, so the main body of this piece was written last year but is every bit as relevant today. The only difference being that several more fantastic roles have been produced by this actor, including the much anticipated lead in 'The Grief Tourist' and the fact that the character of Officer Cooper has evolved further, becoming even more rounded and compelling.
In my opinion, Season 4 of SouthLAnd has firmly placed Michael Cudlitz on the map as one of America's most versitile actors.
So stop talking about it TPTB!
Once again I say .....'Just give this man an Emmy!!'Amanda B.
cheekymice
:)
ncisficfind and what a pleasure it was to read!!! Thank you for sharing. :-)