Kasdan Lands Double Emmy Nods For Martin Short Doc
SkimNews Take
Kasdan built his career on theatrical ensemble dramas, yet his first major awards recognition comes from a streaming documentary — a generational shift in where auteur acclaim now lands.
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- Lawrence Kasdan received two Emmy nominations for directing and producing the Netflix documentary Marty, Life Is Short, with nods for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special and his own direction, plus an editing nomination for Sierra Neal and Bennett Piscitelli.
- Martin Short himself earned two Emmy nominations the same morning — Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Only Murders in the Building and Outstanding Host for a Game Show for Match Game — while the Netflix doc traces his career from the early 1970s to today, including the deaths of his brother, both parents by age 20, and wife Nancy Dolman in 2010.
- Kevin Costner shot extensive flashback sequences for 1983's The Big Chill before Kasdan cut him to keep the story in the present tense; Costner told Kasdan the four-week ensemble rehearsal was "the best education" he could have had, and Kasdan later wrote him the role of young gunslinger Jake in 1985's Silverado, which helped launch his career.
- Silverado reunited Costner with Big Chill alums Kevin Kline and Jeff Goldblum, and Kasdan's prior rehearsal process — "at that time that [had] never [been] done in the movies" — became foundational for the younger actor's craft.
- Geena Davis beat out three other finalists Kasdan tested for the role of dog trainer Muriel Pritchett in 1988's The Accidental Tourist, a part Kasdan knew her for through her past relationship with Jeff Goldblum; Davis won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
- Kasdan's four Academy Award nominations span Grand Canyon (Original Screenplay), The Accidental Tourist (Best Picture and Adapted Screenplay), and The Big Chill (Original Screenplay).
Why it matters: The Emmy nods validate a 40-year friendship project Kasdan made to honor Short, with viewers telling him the film was "a revelation" of Short's character. The Costner anecdote shows how a single cut became the inflection point for one of Hollywood's biggest careers — Costner's gracious response turned a setback into a four-week apprenticeship and a launched role in Silverado.
