Carla Gugino Speaks out After Her First Major Award Nomination Ever

Following a 40-year career that has spanned everything from The Buccaneers to Spy Kids, Gerald’s Game and more, Carla Gugino has finally landed her much-deserved first major award nomination. The actress has been nominated for a Critics Choice Award in the Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television category for her role as Verna in Mike Flanagan’s Edgar Allen Poe-inspired Netflix limited series The Fall of the House of Usher, a nomination that Gugino said is “really significant.”

“I will say that we certainly don’t do it for that, and I’ve learned that in a very tangible way, because for whatever reasons, no matter how many times people have been so kind to say you know ‘you’ll get nominated for this,’ or ‘you won’t just get nominated, you’ll win for this,’ you know. And I’ve gotten lots of beautiful critical response and accolades, but this is the first major award I have ever been nominated for in film or television in an almost 40-year career,” Gugino told Collider‘s Perri Nemiroff of her nomination, adding that “So it’s actually really significant to me.”

Gugino earned critical praise for her portrayal of Verna, a mysterious woman who takes various forms. After the Usher twins make a deal with Verna, she returned decades later to prey on the remaining Ushers. Gugino said the role, and the show as a whole, was a “magic combo.”

“I think it’s so rare that you get to do something where you are so proud of the piece as a whole, of everybody involved, of this character. I just I will never get an opportunity – I’ve never had one before, I probably will never get one like this again,” she explained. “It’s such a unique opportunity with Verna and these incarnations of her. And also then that the show was super successful…I feel like this has that magic combo where you do something you’re really proud of, and I’ve done huge movies that have done really really well, but the role has been fine. So, you know, this is a magic a combo, and I couldn’t be more grateful. So, yeah, I feel like it’s really cool.”

Gugino, who did not initially know she was nominated due to a “technical snafu” that left her name off of the list of nominees, is up for the accolade along with Kaitlyn Dever (No One Will Save You), Brie Larson (Lessons in Chemistry), Bel Powley (A Small Light), Sydney Sweeney (Reality), Juno Temple (Fargo), and Ali Wong (Beef). Along with Gugino’s nomination, The House of the Fall of Usher also received recognition in the Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television category, where bothWilla Fitzgerald and Mary McDonnell are nominated for their portrayal of a younger and older Madeline Usher. The 29th annual Critics Choice Awards will air live on The CW beginning at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, Jan. 14. The Fall of the House of Usher is streaming on Netflix.