When the Golden Globe nominees were announced a few days ago, I wasn’t expecting to see John Noble’s name anywhere. Not only are the Globes notorious for their questionable decisions, but Noble hadn’t been nominated for an Emmy or any other major award — so why would things change now? When the SAG nominations were released today, I still wasn’t expecting to see John Noble listed anywhere. But despite my expectations, I still felt frustration. How could Noble’s peers not recognize him for his incredible work on Fringe? HOW?!
I wouldn’t expect the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, a group of journalists from around the world (the group responsible for the Golden Globes) to get it right, but when actors fail to acknowledge the brilliance of their fellow actors, it’s slightly baffling. I keep trying to tell myself that they are just award shows — arbitrary, illogical ceremonies that often get more wrong than they get right — and yet I can’t seem to shake this frustration. I’m beginning to consider that these award shows may have a secret ‘vagenda.’
That is why I am officially deeming John Noble to be the most talented actor on television. My opinion might not mean much to a lot of people, but that doesn’t matter. I’ve done it. It’s been deemed. No award show can take that away from me.
Noble’s skills do not need to be validated. Every fan of the show is keenly aware of how talented he is. Most television critics, bloggers, podcasters, and almost everyone else in the entertainment industry are aware of it too. It seems like the people who run these award shows are also the only people who time and again fail to give Noble the credit he deserves. I understand how difficult nominations can be sometimes. There is a ton of talent in Hollywood and only a few spots that can be filled by all that talent. But like I said, Noble is the most talented. The best. Shouldn’t the best be at least, you know, nominated?
Noble is currently playing two versions of himself on Fringe. One is our beloved Walter Bishop — the gifted and clever scientist trying to adjust to life outside of a mental institution and aiming to steady his complex relationship with his son Peter, all while coming to terms with some of the scientific monstrosities he created before losing his mind. The other is ‘Walternate’— a bitter, broken, vengeful shell of a man who happens to be the Secretary of Defense in his world (and quite reminiscent of Noble’s portrayal of Denethor in The Return of the King, I hope I wasn’t the only LOTR geek who noticed the similarities). Noble’s performance as Walter Bishop throughout the first two seasons was equally as impressive, but now he is doing it twice. Simultaneously. His work in season three is drawing much deserved comparisons to Terry O’Quinn’s dual roles in the final season of LOST. The only difference is, O’Quinn was nominated for pretty much every award in existence. What about Mr. Noble?
I can’t explain Noble’s perpetual snubbing from the award world. I honestly can’t. I know there tends to be an anti-science fiction bias to these things, but is that all? Is there nothing else to it? I don’t know. Maybe the day will come when Noble is finally given the recognition he deserves, and I’ll quit my complaining. Until then, I’ll continue to pretend to not care about award shows but cry a single tear of disappointment whenever Noble is not nominated to one. John, the awards might not know your brilliance, but the fans do. And nothing can ever change that.
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Noble took a relatively small role of Denethor in LOTR Trilogy, and made it into one of the best performances in the whole trilogy. Two different characters in Fringe are even better, and his acting can be ranked right there with O'Quinn in Lost if not even higher in some episodes. But, he is not the first nor last great actor to be completely ignored by the awards associations. And that's why reputation of any award for TV and movie is worth less and lass over the years and why quality of movies and TV series is going down. When Piper Perabo is nominated for a bland role in Covert Affairs, and show like Fringe and actor like Noble get no nominations, you clearly can see that there is something very, very wrong in Hollywood.
Noble took a relatively small role of Denethor in LOTR Trilogy, and made it into one of the best performances in the whole trilogy. Two different characters in Fringe are even better, and his acting can be ranked right there with O'Quinn in Lost if not even higher in some episodes. But, he is not the first nor last great actor to be completely ignored by the awards associations. And that's why reputation of any award for TV and movie is worth less and lass over the years and why quality of movies and TV series is going down. When Piper Perabo is nominated for a bland role in Covert Affairs, and show like Fringe and actor like Noble get no nominations, you clearly can see that there is something very, very wrong in Hollywood.
I agree completely. Sometimes I even forget that Walter and Walternate are actually portrayed by the same guy – that's how good he is.
Don;t forget Anna Torv, she's also fantastic.
Couldn’t agree more. Then again, Fringe itself is underrated; but, it’s really unfair how John Noble could portray two identical characters so exceptionally well without even the slightest recognition throughout the three years of Fringe.
It sucks, John is wonderful and so is Anna.So can we develope our own awards for them. Any thoughts
How about an "Exceptional Expressional Acting Award" for Anna. No one acts better with emotions and facial expressions than her.
John Noble is the greatest actor on TV. No one can compare to him, no one. It’s ridiculous, that he’s been ignored for so long, but then, these awards are getting more and more worthless. It’s about the red carpet now, not about talent.
I absolutely agree with you. John Noble has been brilliant from the very first moment we saw him on screen in Fringe. His first line in the show is one i often quote…'i knew someone would come …eventually'. Perhaps this may be true for the award shows and his peers. They will come around….. eventually and finally recognise this man for what he truely is. He is an outstanding actor who is beloved by his fellow cast members, the crew and absolutely adored by the fans….and tv critics and reveiwers too. I do think award shows have a dislike for scifi and this tend to be overlooked. What these people fail to realise is that they are missing out on some of the most outstanding acting, writing and producing ever seen on tv. In my opinion, award shows have become a rubber stamp for those shows that are full of fluff and no subtance and provide no challenge to the viewers. This is the exact kind of tv i do not watch. Not only is John Noble missing from the list of nominees but Fringe is too. This show is a masterpiece of tv ….a showcase for how a show should be written, acted and produced. Fringe may not be nominated for any awards but its fans know it is brilliant and we reward it with our absolute loyalty and obsession.
It's cool to see familiar names on different sites. Couldn't agree with you more runpaceyrun.