Tilda Swinton has had a long and prolific career. Whether it’s her frequent collaborations with director Wes Anderson, big-budget fare like the MCU, or The Chronicles of Narnia, or getting mistaken for David Bowie, Swinton is good in everything she does. So is it that far out of reach for her to win an Emmy for playing the voice of Ambrosius the Octopus on The Boys?
Swinton was hilariously introduced as the voice of Ambrosius in the Season 4 premiere, “Department of Dirty Tricks.” While the octopus herself was introduced back in Season 3’s “Herogasm” as The Deep (Chace Crawford) was discovered, er, deep inside her during the superhero orgy, we didn’t hear the psychic “voice” of Ambrosius until this season. And the joke of “talking octopus The Deep is having sex with” was vaulted to another level by giving the voice to a vaunted thespian like Swinton.
But, and here’s the thing… Swinton is physically incapable of phoning it in. That’s true of every performance she gives, and the same here for the octopus voice. Some of it is down to The Boys’ writing team, naturally, as well as whoever vocally directed Swinton. But the pathos, need, and care she gives Ambrosius while she patiently waits for The Deep to let her live in the main aquarium in his room, rather than literally and figuratively in the closet, once again elevates those scenes. It’s a soft, lovely vocal performance. It could have popped up as a lark at the Emmy nominations and everyone would rolled their eyes and laughed.
Spoilers past this point, but what clinched this for me as a real, viable shot at an Emmy is Swinton’s performance in this week’s episode, “The Insider.” In the episode, The Deep is already turning dark at the urging of manipulative, super-smart Supe Sage (Susan Heyward). And in fact, he’s been cheating on Ambrosius with her… Something Ambrosius knows because “my suckers can smell her on you.” (Fun fact: this is true, octopuses do indeed smell and taste through their suckers!)
What follows is a drag-out argument that ranges from dropping Lisa Vanderpump quotes to pathetic begging. It ultimately infuriates The Deep so much that he smashes Ambrosius’s tank, and locks her in the closet to die.
That death scene is the pinnacle of what The Boys does so well. The Deep, a reprehensible character, who you really feel for in this moment despite the fact that he’s killed his octopus lover. A frickin’ talking octopus, who you also feel for as she gasps for breath and dies. And this is where Swinton takes things to the next level, her death rattle perfectly modulated for both heartache and hilarity, dragged out over the course of a full minute. Too-long death scenes are a classic comedy trope, but through Swinton’s voice work, it feels fresh, funny, and new.
Swinton Should Get An Emmy for The Boys, But Will She?
So could Swinton actually get an Emmy nomination for her work here? For sure. It’s an extreme long shot not even because of the octopus voice acting thing, but because sci-fi/superhero shows like The Boys tend to get locked out of most categories at the TV awards show. The show was nominated for Outstanding Drama Series in 2021, but other than one writing nomination it’s been all sound editing, stunt coordination, and one for “Never Truly Vanish” for Original Music and Lyrics. Having the show’s first acting nomination for an octopus would certainly be surprising. To say the least.
However, there are two categories where Swinton could pop up. The first is Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, which is a stretch. It’s hard to imagine a picture of an octopus up there on the Emmys next to, say, Jamie Lee Curtis in The Bear or Claire Foy for The Crown. But weirder things have happened! Far more likely (though still an outside chance) is the award for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance, which last year went to Maya Rudolph for Connie the Hormone Monstress on Big Mouth. That category in 2023 also included Julie Andrews for Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story and Mel Brooks for History of the World, Part II, so it seems like they do include live-action voiceovers, as well as animated performances.
Look, I am terrible at prognosticating awards shows. And one point of clarity, given this year’s cut-off for Emmys was May 31, Swinton wouldn’t even be in the running until the 2025 Emmys. But when it comes time to vote for that awards show, do the right thing. Vote Ambrosius the Octopus for Emmys 2025, even if she’s an outside shot of winning. Or as Lisa Vanderpump would say: sometimes the way you get them is the way you lose them.
The Boys Season 4 Premiere Dates And Episode Guide:
The Boys season 4 will officially premiere on Prime Video on Thursday, June 13 at 3 am ET / 12 am PT. The season will be eight episodes long, with three dropping on premiere day.
Here’s the full list of episodes in The Boys Season 4, with expected premiere dates:
- Thursday, June 13, 2024: The Boys, Season 4, Episode 1 – “Department of Dirty Tricks”
- Thursday, June 13, 2024: The Boys, Season 4, Episode 2 – “Life Among the Septics”
- Thursday, June 13, 2024: The Boys, Season 4, Episode 3 – “We’ll Keep the Red Flag Flying Here”
- Thursday, June 20, 2024: The Boys, Season 4, Episode 4 – “Wisdom of the Ages”
- Thursday, June 27, 2024: The Boys, Season 4, Episode 5 – “Beware the Jabberwock, My Son”
- Thursday, July 4, 2024: The Boys, Season 4, Episode 6 – “Dirty Business”
- Thursday, July 11, 2024: The Boys, Season 4, Episode 7 – “The Insider”
- Thursday, July 18, 2024: The Boys, Season 4, Episode 8 – “Assassination Run” *Season Finale*
Where To Watch The Boys:
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