Matthew Rhys has made Emmy history by winning best actor in a comedy for his acclaimed performance in Apple TV horror comedy “Widow’s Bay.” and for the dark Netflix miniseries “The Beast in Me.”
The Welsh actor has suddenly become an Emmy trailblazer, setting not one but two Emmy records.
Record-Breaking Wins
Apple TVDuring the 78th annual Prime Time Emmy Awards on Monday, September 14, Rhys broke new ground by winning the best actor awards in two different categories on the same night.
Rhys achieved that rare and singular honor when he won the Emmy for lead actor in the limited series and comedy categories, for Netlix’s “The Beast in Me” and Apple TV’s “Widow’s Bay,” on the same night.
When added to his previous win for best actor in a drama in 2018 for his performance in FX’s “The Americans,” Rhys is now in a rarified space in Emmy history.
Not only is he the only actor in Emmy history to win two lead actor awards on a single night, he’s now the only actor to win lead actor Emmys in three different categories — drama, comedy and limited series.
A Horror-Comedy Hit
In his “Widow’s Bay” acceptance speech for best lead actor in a comedy, Rhys praised series creator Katie Dippold’s “depraved and twisted mind.”
He added: “Her genius really does live in the recesses of her disturbed brain. [This win] is also because of my hero, [executive producer and director] Hiro Marai, who helmed us so beautifully and deftly.”
Rhys also thanked the Apple TV executives who championed the series, while sending a shoutout to “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.”
‘A Real Shock’
In a post-Emmys interview with “Extra,” Rhys admitted he was the last person to think he’d be making Emmy history by winning two lead acting categories in a single night — let alone becoming the first actor to ever to win all three Emmy lead acting categories.
According to Rhys, he was completely blindsided by his new role as Emmy record-setter.
“I genuinely didn’t think I had a shot with ‘Beast,'” Rhys said of his win for “The Beast in Me.”
That’s not a surprising sentiment, given that his fellow nominees in that category included Riz Ahmed in “Bait,” Jason Bateman in “Black Rabbit,” Charlie Hunnam in “Monster: The Ed Gein Story,” and Oscar Isaac in Season 2 of “Beef.”
“I hoped I had a small shot with ‘Widow’s Bay;” Rhys added, “but to win, it was a real shock. Really massive,” he added.
Continuing, Rhys joked about his “rambling vomit” of an acceptance speech, admitting he wasn’t expecting to make Emmy history.
“I just wasn’t prepared for it,” he admitted, but conceded he would always give his homeland of Wales some love whenever he had the opportunity.
“You know, we’re a small but mighty country, so when we have our moments we have to shout,” he added.
