Tatiana Maslany. It took an Emmy win to put her name on the map for the vast majority, but those of us in Clone Club have long awaited her well-deserved recognition and rise to stardom.
The outstanding lead actress in a drama series copped only one Emmy, even though she received the nomination for playing several roles. That’s right; Maslany portrays nearly a dozen different characters in the BBC sci-fi hit, “Orphan Black,” and she still finds the time to eat, sleep and breathe.
To critics, “Orphan Black” is explained as a show that increases awareness of the ethical and moral repercussions of human cloning and furthers the debate of nature versus nurture. To the average joe, “Orphan Black” can be described as a suspenseful sci-fi thriller complete with abnormal familial obligations, conniving corporations and seriously bad-ass acting skills.
Maslany is just oozing with talent. She’s got the accents, the mannerisms and the personalities all down to a T. In fact, I found myself on on IMDB several times just to make sure it truly is the same person representing half of the show’s main characters.
If you thought “Inception” was a trip, imagine what goes through Maslany’s head while she’s playing a clone pretending to be a different clone, therefore acting as if she’s struggling with the part.
She’s single-handedly destroying the pre-existing perceptions of female archetypes in film and television one episode at a time. By merging together all of these women from separate worlds, viewers have no choice but to witness the complexities of females (just like in real life, imagine that).
Even though the clones have an underlying common thread, the show does a great job of highlighting their differences in order to develop very different characters.
Oh, the irony! A show about clones is a trailblazer for multifaceted, developed female role portrayals on screen. The one time where dull, robotic female leads would be acceptable, the producers roll out a series packed with subtle feminist issues.
Maslany is a perfect fit because she’s a feminist advocate both on and off screen. She has commented on the blatant sexism in Hollywood in several interviews, expressing her disgust for how much it’s ingrained in the industry.
The show’s brilliance and Maslany’s emotional intelligence is best summed up by an excerpt from her interview with “AdWeek:”
“They’re not physically superhuman and emotionless and without flaws. Having a strong female character doesn’t mean she’s beyond suffering and fragility. There’s a fearlessness. That to me is strong writing for women. It defies gender.”
Good article!!
Yes, she is amazing