Showtime’s satirical thriller “The Curse,” created by stars Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie and also starring Emma Stone, has exclusively shared its Emmy submission plans with Variety.
The three multi-hyphenates will have more than one chance at recognition across various categories for producing, acting, directing, writing and editing.
“The Curse” explores the tumultuous lives of a married couple (Fielder and Stone), who encounter a string of misfortunes while filming an HGTV series in New Mexico. Their challenges are compounded by a dubious “curse” and a manipulative producer (Safdie), which together threaten both the show and their relationship.
Stone, fresh off her second best actress Oscar win for her role in Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things,” is eyeing her first Emmy nod. She seeks recognition for her portrayal of Whitney, the co-host of the couple’s show about eco-friendly homes. Additionally, Stone is vying for a guest comedy actress nod for her hilarious stint on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” Winning in either category would make her the third woman to clinch both acting Oscars and Emmys in the same year, a feat previously achieved by Helen Hunt in 1997 and Helen Mirren in 2006.
Stone also contributes as an executive producer, alongside Fielder and Safdie.
Both Fielder and Safdie have four entries each in the mix. They co-wrote the pilot, “Land of Enchantment,” which will represent the series in the writing category. Pilot episodes often receive favorable attention from the writing peer group, which will make them likely candidates for a mention.
Fielder is competing in lead drama actor and is also in the directing drama race for the wild and crazy finale episode “Green Queen,” featuring guest comedy actress contender Rachael Ray. His sole Emmy nomination came in 2019 for directing the variety series “Who is America?” with Sacha Baron Cohen. Perhaps lightning can strike twice?
Fielder’s acting bid pits him against high-profile actors like Tom Hiddleston in “Loki,” Gary Oldman in “Slow Horses,” and Dominic West in “The Crown,” in a tightly contested race with only six slots available.
Safdie, fresh from his success as part of the ensemble of the best picture winner “Oppenheimer,” faces a potentially smoother path in the supporting category for his work as Dougie, the sleazy producer. With multiple actors from “The Crown” and “The Morning Show” threatening to split votes among each other, and eight slots available, his competition only includes Oscar nominee Barkhad Abdi, as the father of the young girl that curses the couple. His first career Emmy nom could be incoming.
Additionally, Safdie edited the episode “Down and Dirty,” which is one of two episodes submitted by the network in this category; the other being Adam Locke-Norton’s acclaimed work on the finale.
Showtime has put forward 29 submissions for consideration, though this list is not complete as actors and artisans may also submit themselves.
Read: All Primetime Emmy predictions in every category on Variety’s Awards Circuit.
- Outstanding Drama Series — Joshua Bachove, Ronald Bronstein, Ashley Browning, Marissa Cattel, Nathan Fielder, Ali Herting, Carrie Kemper, Adam Locke-Norton, Dave McCary, Mary Beth Minthorn, Ravi Nandan, Alli Reich, Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie, Emma Stone, Kaitlin Waldron, Inman Young
- Writing for a Drama Series — Episode 101 – “Land of Enchantment” – Nathan Fielder & Benny Safdie, Written by
- Directing for a Drama Series — Episode 110 – “Green Queen” – Nathan Fielder, Directed by
- Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (One Hour) — Maceo Bishop, Director of Photography
- Lead Actor in a Drama Series — Nathan Fielder
- Lead Actress in a Drama Series — Emma Stone
- Supporting Actor in a Drama Series — Benny Safdie, Barkhad Abdi
- Supporting Actress in a Drama Series — Nizhonniya Luxi Austin, Hikmah Warsame
- Guest Actor in a Drama Series — Corbin Bernsen, Vincent Pastore
- Guest Actress in a Drama Series – Constance Shulman, Rachael Ray, Dahabo Ahmed
- Casting for a Drama Series — Jennifer Venditti, Angelique Midthunder, Casting by
- Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary Program (One Hour or More) — Katie Byron, Production Designer
- Picture Editing for a Drama Series — Adam Locke-Norton, ACE, Editor – episode 110 “Green Queen” and Benny Safdie – episode 108 – “Down and Dirty”
- Contemporary Costumes – Katina Danabassis, Costume Designer
- Contemporary Hairstyling – Ahou Mofid, Hair Department Head
- Contemporary Makeup (Non-Prosthetic) — Svetlana Britt, Make-up Department Head
- Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score) — John Medeski, Music by
- Music Supervision — Sarah Maniquis-Garrisi, Music Supervisor
- Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour) — Nick Forshager, Supervising Sound Editor
- Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour) — Phillip Bladh, Production Sound Mixer, Larry Benjamin, Re-Recording Mixer, Tim Hoogenakker, Re-Recording Mixer
- Stunt Coordination for Drama Programming — Timothy Eulich, Stunt Coordinator
- Special Visual Effects in a Single Episode — Episode 110 — “Green Queen” — Ingenuity, Eric Binmoeller, Visual Effects by
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