In just a week's time the next Supporting Actress Smackdown and its companion podcast arrives. We'll be discussing the films and performances of 1946 so hurry up and finish watching Anna and the King of Siam, Duel in the Sun, The Razor's Edge, Saratoga Trunk, and The Spiral Staircase. Your votes count. Let's meet your fellow panelists, shall we?
TORY DEVON SMITH
Tory Devon Smith is a stage and screen actor currently living in Los Angeles, California. A native of Bakersfield, California, he graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a degree in Theatre. His most recent TV credits include: Ava DuVernay’s Cherish The Day opposite film icon Cicely Tyson, Zac & Mia streaming on Netflix, and The Coop streaming on EKO, an interactive storytelling platform. Other notable credits include Netflix’s The Get Down directed by Baz Luhrman, BET’s Zoe Ever After alongside Grammy winner Brandy, and ABC’s Modern Family. Tory will soon be seen in the thriller This Game’s Called Murder starring Ron Pearlman, and the independent dramedy Hollywood Fringe with Justin Kirk. Tory is currently starring in and producing his first film titled The Baldwin Archives, where he portrays esteemed author, essayist, and playwright James Baldwin. [Twitter | Instagram | IMDb]
ALLEN NGUYEN
PR hack by day. Watcher, writer, ranker and dreamer of film performances and the awards they win by night (and, let’s be honest, by day as well). Allen's origin story with the Oscars and actresses: Nicole Kidman defeating Renée Zellweger in 2003 taught him pain, nearly all the Best Actress winners in the 2000s taught him patience, and Marion Cotillard snatching the trophy in 2008 taught him love. He resides in Los Angeles. [Official Site]
And returning guests...
PETER DUCHAN
Peter Duchan wrote the book of the musical Dogfight, which debuted at Second Stage, winning the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Musical. It has since been performed in cities all over the world, including Tokyo, Seoul, Sydney, Amsterdam, and London, where the production was nominated for the Evening Standard Award for Best Musical. His latest musical, The Illusionist, premiered (against all odds) in Tokyo in January 2021. Other theater credits include writing the original musical Stu for Silverton (Intiman Theater), as well as co-creating the revue Carefree: Dancing with Fred and Ginger. He served as Script Consultant for the long-running Broadway musical Waitress. Film credits include co-writing the screenplays for the feature Breaking Upwards (IFC Films) and the short Unlocked (Tribeca Film Festival). [Twitter]
GUY LODGE
Raised in South Africa and based in London, Guy Lodge has been a freelance film critic since 2008, when he started reviewing and reporting at the former awards-season site In Contention (RIP). Today, he's the UK film critic for Variety, writes a weekly streaming-focused column for The Observer newspaper, and is a regular contributor to The Guardian's film section. Earlier this year, he launched the short-and-sweet movie recommendation site Film of the Week with his pal Catherine Bray. Before COVID, he could most regularly be found at some international film festival or another, and is looking forward to resuming that habit at Cannes in July. [Twitter | Instagram ]
HOSTED BY...
NATHANIEL ROGERS
Nathaniel is the creator and owner of The Film Experience. He is a member of Gurus of Gold, Critics Choice Awards, and the Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics and a longtime Oscar pundit here at TFE. His writing has also appeared at other publications including Vanity Fair, Vulture, Slate, Towleroad, Tribeca Film, and Winq.
If you are a working actor, a renowned critic, film historian, a novelist, a comedian, or an arts professional of some kind, chances are good that he has meant to invite you to a Smackdown panel, or would have if he happened to know you were obsessed with actresses. [Twitter | Contact | Instagram]