THE ARTIST James Roday Rodriguez
THE SHOW | A million little things
THE EPISODE | “The Last Dance” (February 8, 2023)
THE PERFORMANCE | We’re used to seeing Rodriguez display his wry sense of humor and impeccable comedic timing: on the ABC drama, his Gary is regularly called upon to provide levity when a scene reaches peak emotional intensity. But were not used to seeing him use a moment of easy humor as an access point to his character’s heartbreaking grief – which is why his excellent work in the Season 5 premiere deserves special attention.
Halfway through the hour, Gary told a story about his recently deceased father. Rodriguez imbued the memory with genuine joy, his laugh growing louder as Gary recounted a snowball fight from his childhood. But when it looked like Rodriguez was going to have his character succumb to a fit of laughter, the scene took a bittersweet turn and Gary started sobbing.
We were very impressed with how Rodriguez made the hard corner so smooth. Gary’s guilt and grief washed over him, and his portrayer rode those waves of strong emotion in a way that hit hard. Rodriguez’s little choices – the smile that slowly turned into a grimace, the way he lowered his head when it was clear the tears weren’t going to stop, the hand he pulled up to his face in a vain attempt to hide – really made the scene.
It takes a lot of skill – and even more heart – to pull off a moment of such vulnerability. Rodriguez succeeded.
Scroll down to see who scored honorable mentions this week…