Why “Someone Somewhere” Deserves an Emmy Nomination for Jeff Hiller

Of all the joys of television in the past year, one of the cleanest has been the HBO drama. someone somewhere, created by Hannah Boss and Paul Turen -and all the gems of the series- is one of Jeff Hiller’s most remarkable. Bridget Everett Sam may be the main character, with every character emphasizing her contributions large and small to her magic. But it’s Hiller’s performance, endearingly warm and deeply funny, that most fully embodies the heart of the show.

At first it is difficult to determine exactly who Joel is because someone somewhere He specializes in very complex characters to reduce familiar archetypes. What is clear from the start is that this exudes an unprecedented gangster sweetness. At the beginning of the first episode, he tells Sam that they met on the high school team. “I knew I knew you!” He cries. He replies with a sunny smile, “No, you didn’t.”

It’s a small moment, but one that will quickly lay the groundwork for one of the series’ most beloved characters. There’s no trace of frustration or regret in his response, just an act of genius. Here is a man who knows exactly who he is, who received himself for it, and who now willingly extends the same grace to others.

Also, it’s funny because it’s always fun to see one character yelling nonsense at another. After some scenes, Hiller leans on Sam with shining eyes to pass the horrible new book of his classmate, and it’s clear that Joel is not exempt from a series of insidious things that convince him of his best friend and more fascinating. the television. Characters: Someone you can count on for their stupidity and compassion.

With each passing episode, Joel again adds new layers. He is a concerned takedown, but also a firm leader. He is so generous that you can mistakenly change what he obliges, but he is strong enough to protect his own heart and the hearts of the people (or newly adopted dog) he loves. He’s absolutely stubborn, but he’s so diligent in his absolute joy that he’s gone back to being so cool, that one feels so completely cool.

Much is required of an actor for the simultaneous embodiment of all these qualities. Hiller does this so easily that it’s often easy to forget he’s an actor. Joel’s every line, his emotions, even his mannerisms—for example, how he laughs with his mouth open, as if his admiration is too great to contain—seems to come from somewhere deep in Hiller’s soul.

As a 40-year-old gay man who champions religion and finds community in his small Midwestern town rather than the big city as it is written, Joel is already a character who goes against the narrative formulas he expected. . But it’s Jeff Hiller who takes it to the next level, who takes this carefully written character and brings him to life as an exceptional creature, a true original.

The story first appeared in a separate June issue of The Hollywood Reporter. Click here to subscribe to the magazine.