Matthew Rhys walked away from Monday night's Emmy Awards with a distinction no actor had achieved in the show's 78-year history. The 51-year-old Welsh performer took home outstanding lead actor in a comedy for Apple TV's "Widow's Bay" and outstanding lead actor in a limited series for Netflix's "The Beast in Me," as reported by The Guardian.
Combined with his 2018 victory for outstanding lead actor in a drama on "The Americans," Rhys is now the only male performer to have won all three lead acting categories. Accepting his award for "Widow's Bay," Rhys turned his attention to home. "The great and good people of Wales, who were as much a nurturer as anyone else. We are a small but mighty nation. This is incredible," he said.
Speaking to reporters afterward, he admitted the night had left him reeling. "I am slightly giddy and a little bit dizzy," he told media after his historic win. "I genuinely can't believe it. I hope to reflect on it tomorrow. At the moment, I genuinely can't quite believe what has happened."
His second win caught him off guard entirely. "That was such a shock, as I am sure you could tell from the rambling speech I gave … a vomit of a speech," he said, referring to his acceptance for "The Beast in Me."
"Widow's Bay" was the dominant force of the evening at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, claiming 14 of its 19 nominations, including best comedy series, supporting actress in a comedy for Kate O'Flynn, supporting actor for Stephen Root, best writing for creator Katie Dippold, and best director for Hiro Murai.
The drama categories told a different story. "The Pitt" secured outstanding drama series and delivered Noah Wyle his second consecutive win for outstanding lead actor, after leading all nominees this year with 25 nods and converting six into wins.
Wyle, now the first drama actor to win back-to-back Emmys since Bryan Cranston's run on "Breaking Bad," reflected on where he started. "I grew up in LA," he said. "I'm a Hollywood kid. I was raised on a television, and movie theaters were my place of worship. This is all I've ever wanted to do, and this is the only club I've ever wanted to join. Thank you for accepting me."
Jean Smart matched a milestone shared by only two other performers in Emmy history. She and Allison Janney each collected their eighth acting Emmy, tying Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Cloris Leachman for the most acting wins ever recorded. Janney won best supporting actress for "The Diplomat," while Smart took her fifth outstanding lead actress in a comedy trophy for playing Deborah Vance across the fifth and final season of "Hacks," becoming the first woman to win an Emmy for every season of a series.
Rhea Seehorn picked up her first Emmy win, taking best lead actress for "Pluribus," while Tom Pelphrey won best supporting actor for "Task" in a drama field heavily populated by "The Pitt's" cast. "DTF St Louis" emerged as the top winner in the limited or anthology categories, collecting seven awards.
Stephen Colbert took the Emmy for variety show following the contested cancellation of "The Late Show." He used the moment to champion his crew rather than himself, thanking "the over 200 people" who worked on the show over a decade, before urging, "Hire them. They will make your day better and your lives easier."
Political commentary was notably muted compared to past ceremonies, The Guardian noted. Accepting best writing in a drama for "Pluribus," creator Vince Gilligan said, "We will never agree on everything, but we can treat each other with respect, and we can stop listening to a relative few who think that is for suckers."
Several nominated series left the ceremony without a win, including "Shrinking," "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms," "Beef," "Margo's Got Money Troubles," "Abbott Elementary" and "Paradise."
