Prime Video Eyes Big Emmy Push for ‘Expats’ With Nicole Kidman, Ji-young Yoo and 24 Awards Submissions (EXCLUSIVE)

Clayton Davis

Prime Video is gearing up for a strong Emmy push with Lulu Wang’s emotionally charged and intricately crafted miniseries “Expats.”

It was revealed exclusively to Variety that stars Nicole Kidman and Ji-young Yoo will be submitted for lead acting accolades, while Sarayu Blue and Ruby Ruiz will aim for supporting roles. Altogether, “Expats” will vie for 24 Primetime Emmy nominations, including outstanding limited or anthology series.

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Set against the vibrant backdrop of Hong Kong, and adapted from the novel by Janice Y.K. Lee, “Expats” delves into the lives of a close-knit group of expatriates, navigating their affluent, yet complex world. The narrative centers around the mysterious disappearance of Margaret’s (Kidman) son during a market visit, intertwining the lives of three American women amidst the 2014 Umbrella Movement protests.

Read: All Primetime Emmy predictions in every category on Variety’s Awards Circuit.

Lulu Wang, the creator, writer and director of the series voiced her support of the dynamic trio to Variety, saying: “I always envisioned opening the series with Mercy Kim to anchor the audience in the perspective of the self-proclaimed ‘perpetrator’ and set up intrigue around what has happened to the victim, Margaret Woo, who we meet soon after. Together, Ji-young and Nicole give us two very different perspectives with their complex performances. Like yin and yang, these two are opposing, yet complementary sides of an incident that connects them forever.”

Wang also praises Blue’s contribution, saying, “Rounding out the ensemble is Hilary Starr who must navigate the aftershocks of an event that irrevocably changes her life. Sarayu’s tremendous range allows us to feel everything from empathy to repugnance for this complicated character. It was such an honor to work with these three actors, who brought such distinctive qualities to each of these roles. I could not be more proud of all of them.”

Margaret (Nicole Kidman), Mercy (Ji-young Yoo)
Margaret (Nicole Kidman), Mercy (Ji-young Yoo)

In her review, Aramide Tinubu, Variety chief TV critic called the series, “a deeply nuanced and dark narrative about the things women sweep under the rug, and what happens when they become too weary to cover them up.”

As the crumbling Margaret, Emmy winner Kidman is remarkable in her role. No stranger to awards adoration, the Australian star has won two Emmy statuettes as an executive producer and lead actress for the HBO/Max’s “Big Little Lies” in 2017. She’s also a five-time Oscar nominated performer, winning best actress in 2003 for her masterful transformation into author Virginia Woolf in the period drama “The Hours.”

Ji-young Yoo shines as Mercy, the narrator and free-spirited 24-year-old trying to find her way. Along with a role in Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck’s anthology film “Freaky Tales,” which debuted at Sundance, this year will be remembered as the one that showed her promise as a worthy leading actor in Hollywood. Following Ali Wong’s groundbreaking Emmy win for “Beef,” anticipation is high for continued recognition of diverse talents.

Sarayu Blue
Sarayu Blue

Sarayu Blue, who plays Hilary Starr, delivers a poignant performance that clearly stands out in the drama. Perhaps best known previously for her role in the Fox sitcom “Sons of Tucson,” Blue’s portrayal in “Expats” shows the industry has not utilized her enough, and she could find her way in the running for one of the spots in the supporting actress category, benefiting from the potentially larger number of noms that will likely be available compared to the lead.

The list of Emmy categories for “Expats” are listed below.

  • Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series — Lulu Wang, Daniele Melisa, Nicole Kidman, Per Saari, Alice Bell, Stan Wlodkowski, Theresa Park (executive producers), Gursimran Sandhu, Vera Miao (supervising producers), Janice Y.K. Lee (producer)

  • Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or TV Movie — Nicole Kidman, Ji-young Yoo

  • Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or TV Movie — Brian Tee, Jack Huston

  • Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or TV Movie — Sarayu Blue, Ruby Ruiz

  • Directing — Lulu Wang

  • Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or TV Movie — Lulu Wang, Episode 105: Central

  • Production Design for a Narrative Contempoarary Program (One Hour or More) — Yong Ok Lee (production designer)

  • Casting for a Limited or Anthology Series or TV Movie — David Rubin, Julia Kim, Rosanna Ng (casting by)

  • Cinematography for a Limited or Anthology Series or TV Movie — Anna Franquesa-Solano (director of photography)

  • Contemporary Costumes — Malgosia Turzanska, Sarona Lo (costume designers), Nancy Jarxynko (costume supervisor), Samantha Schwartz, Jessica Mauricio (assistant costume designers), Sunshine Yeun (Hong Kong costume supervisor)

  • Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series or TV Movie — Alex O’Flinn, Matt Friedman (editors)

  • Contemporary Hair Styling — Chrissy Zemura, Alex Kwan (hair stylists), Ying Kwan Tan (key crowd hair), Noriko Watanabe (makeup and hair to Nicole Kidman)

  • Main Title Design — Plucky (main title design by), David Clayton (creative direector), Iris Azadi (art director)

  • Contemporary Makeup (Non-Prosthetic) — Nikki Gooley (makeup and hair designer), Yun-Ling Man, March Qiu (key makeup artists)

  • Music Composition for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score) — Alex Weston

  • Music Supervision — Susan Jacobs, Dylan Neely (music supervisors)

  • Sound Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special — Dane A. Davis (sound designer, supersivising sound editor), Matt Vowles (dialogue editor), Lisle Engle (sound effects editor), Vince Tennant (ADR supervisor), Jordan McClain, Arno Stephanian (foley mixers and editors), Sanaa Kelley, Iris Dutour (foley artists), Clayton Weber, Travis Crotts (foley editors), Ben Schor (music editor)

  • Sound Mixing for a Limited or Anthology Series or TV Movie — Matt Vowles, Lisle Engle (re-recording mixers), Mark Weingarten (sound mixer), Steve Chan (production sound mixer)

  • Special Visual Effects in a Season or Movie — Glorivette Somoza (VFX producer), Robert Bock, Charles Labbe, Anwei Chen (VFX supervisors), Marie-Josee Paradis (VFX producer), Stephanie Wagner (CG supervisor), Cale Jacox, Jason Forster (compositing supervisor)

  • Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series — Michael T. Brady (Stunt Coordinator)

  • Original Main Title Theme Music — Alex Weston

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