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2019 Emmy Nominations: Best Reactions

The casts and creators of Game of Thrones, This Is Us, One Day at a Time, Chernobyl, Killing Eve, When They See Us and more!

by | July 16, 2019 | Comments

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Gwendoline Christie as Brienne in Game of Thrones season 8 (Helen Sloan/HBO)

(Photo by HBO)

This year’s Emmy nominations announced Tuesday were a last hurrah for the final seasons of Game of Thrones and Veep, going out on top with their sweeps of nominations, and new beginnings for shows earning their first nominations.

New shows Russian Doll, The Kominsky Method, Dead to Me, Black Monday, PEN15 and Pose got nominated and Fleabag, GLOW and Schitt’s Creek finally got recognized.

Read More: “2019 Emmy Award Nominations“

Many of the actors, creators and behind the scenes crews celebrated their Emmy nominations on social media or in statements sent to Rotten Tomatoes. Here are some of the best reactions to 2019 Emmy nominations.

Gwendoline Christie was first out of the gates of Winterfell to celebrate Game of Thrones’ last batch of Emmy nominations that included the show, as well as costars Alfie Allen, Emilia Clarke, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington, Lena Headey,  Sophie Turner, Carice van Houten, and Maisie Williams:

Allen responded to his nomination in a statement:

“The truth is, I’m at a loss for words! Thank you to the Academy for recognizing me alongside such formidable actors. To my friends: Kit, Peter, Gwen, Lena, Emilia, Nikolaj, Maisie, Carice, and especially Sophie whom I was in the trenches with for so much of this journey – I am honoured to share this with you. Dave, Dan, our amazing HBO team – for 10 years you pushed me to my limits. Many moments I questioned why – but now I realize that it was because you believed in me. And finally, to our truly amazing fans, thank you for sticking with me, for sticking with us, through it all. I am forever grateful for your support!”

Van Houten riffed on her character in her response to the Game of Thrones’ Twitter account’s parade of tweets about its nominees:

Williams also responded:

Read More: “2019 Emmy Nomination Snubs & Surprises: Game of Thrones Makes History, Schitt’s Creek Pops“
Alan Arkin of THE KOMINSKY METHOD (Mike Yarish/Netflix)

(Photo by Netflix)

Alan Arkin reacted to his Emmy nomination for Supporting Actor in The Kominsky Method in the most Alan Arkin way possible:

“Wow, I am 85 years old, so this comes in just the nick of time,” Arkin said in a statement via Netflix.

Joey King shaved her head to play Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy victim Gypsy Rose Blanchard on Hulu’s The Act. She shared her emotional reaction to the nomination with double nominee Patricia Arquette (for The Act and Escape At Dannemora) on Twitter.

This Is Us earned acting nominations for Mandy Moore, Milo Ventimiglia, Sterling K. Brown, Chris Sullivan, guest stars Ron Cephas Jones, Phylicia Rashad, and Michael Angarano and composer Siddhartha Khosla (who is at least 50 percent of the reason This Is Us makes us sob uncontrollably.)

Brown had his son join him in thanking the Academy.

Creator Dan Fogelman thanked the Academy for recognizing them all and nominating the show again for Best Drama.

Angarano responded in a statement.

“I’m honored to be nominated for This Is Us,” Angarano said. “Thank you Dan Fogelman and the special group of writers for giving me a temporary home. Congratulations to the cast and crew on all of their nominations. It was truly a dream job and I’m so grateful for it.”

One Day At A Time (Netflix)

Netflix may have cancelled One Day At a Time, but Pop saved it, and now Pop has a three-time Emmy nominee with the latest nod for Editor Pat Barnett, who was nominated last season too. Could this be the year they win? Creator Gloria Calderon Kellett sang Barnett’s praises on Twitter.

The women of Killing Eve had a love fest on social media congratulating each other for their nominations, the second year in a row for the show’s two seasons.

Christina Applegate earned her fifth nomination for the first season of Dead to Me. She shared that her daughter found out before she did.

Ryan Murphy’s FX drama Pose broke ground in television for its cast of trans actors and characters. Now it adds an Emmy nomination Billy Porter as Lead Actor in a Drama Series to its legacy.

“The Category Is: Speechless!” Porter said in a statement. “I’m so grateful to have lived long enough to see this day. Pose speaks a truth that has the power to transform hearts and minds. I’m honored and humbled to be counted in the number.“

Co-creator and writer Steven Canals congratulated Porter on Twitter too.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge isn’t on social media to react to her nominations for acting in and creating the comedy series Fleabag but her TV sister Sian Clifford is for hers!

The official Fleabag account celebrated them all, including Supporting Actress Olivia Colman, with Fleabag worthy one-liners.

House of Cards (Netflix)

(Photo by Netflix)

The show goes on for House of Cards with the final season led by Robin Wright earning a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Michael Kelly.

“What an incredible honor to be nominated alongside such talented men and women this year,” Kelly said in a statement. “I couldn’t be more thankful to the TV Academy, and to my fearless cast and crew who made this all possible. Excited to be going back to one of my favorite nights of the year!””

The show didn’t go on for Rent Live when an injury forced Fox to air a dress rehearsal instead. That didn’t stop the production from earning Emmy nominations in five categories: Outstanding Production Design for a Variety Special, Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction For A Variety Special, Outstanding Makeup For A Multi-Camera Series or Special (Non-Prosthetic), Outstanding Variety Special (Live) and Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control for a Special.

“We are grateful to the Television Academy for recognizing Rent among its Emmy nominations this morning,” EPs Marc Platt, Adam Siegel, and Julie Larson said in a joint statement. “It was a joyous experience gathering together members of the original Broadway creative team with our talented young cast in presenting this beloved musical to a wider audience, and we congratulate the entire team for their stellar work.”

When They See Us

(Photo by Netflix)

Netflix shed light on the Central Park Five by airing Ava Duvernay’s series When They See Us. The show’s Emmy nominations, including Aunjanue Ellis for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie, will bring them even more attention.

“This nomination is a tribute to Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, Raymond Santana, Korey Wise and Yusef Salaam,” Ellis said in a statement. “Let’s all say their names. Yusef’s mother, Sharonne Salaam, is nothing less than a warrior for her son and a survivor of an emotional violence few of us will ever understand. I am utterly grateful to her. Thank you to the visionary Ava DuVernay and Netflix for giving me the blessing to be a part of this act of restorative justice.”

John Leguizamo also earned a nod for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie and said in a statement: “This nomination is not for me, but for the parents of the innocent children who have been put through the unimaginable. Just because their vulnerable children were unjustly accused of a crime by racial profiling, and how almost impossible it was to clear themselves.”

For her Supporting Actress nom, Vera Farmiga said in a statement, “Astonished by the surprising Emmy pat on my back, humbled. My heart is bursting with pride for all my When They See Us brothers and sisters and their noms. I pray that Kevin, Antron, Raymond, Korey and Yusef continue to absorb healing from this sweeping acknowledgment. Thank you to the Television Academy.”

Niecy Nash shared her gratitude with her on screen son Jharrel Jerome, also nominated:

Young Asante Blackk also tweeted his thanks.

DuVernay tweeted:

Chernobyl Jared Harris (HBO)

(Photo by HBO)

Chernobyl terrified viewers and critics alike in its stark, harrowing portrayal of the nuclear meltdown. As a reward for giving us all nightmares, Chernobyl was nominated for Outstanding Limited Series, Jared Harris, Emily Watson, and Stellan Skarsgard for Acting and 15 other nominations.

Harris responded in a statement while creator Craig Mazin took to Twitter.

“I am so happy for everyone involved,” Harris said. “These nominations in so many categories speak to the excellence of Chernobyl as a whole; Craig and Johan deserve all the praise. Personally I am delighted and thrilled for Stellan & Emily, who are both magnificent. The international reception to Chernobyl took many industry insiders by surprise. My hope is that its impact emboldens programmers to keep taking risks to not only delight, but also challenge their audiences.”

Adam McKay was nominated for directing Succession, also the show’s first Emmy nomination. He thanked the Academy, and also congratulated Drunk History and I Love You, America.

Full Frontal with Samantha Bee was nominated for Outstanding Variety Talk Series and Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series.

“It’s such an honor to be nominated with so many of my friends,” Bee said in a statement. “I am truly grateful to the Academy for recognizing the hard work of my entire staff. It is always a group effort and any day I can order celebratory cake to be delivered to the office is a good day. See you in LA!”

Conan cut half his show out but still earned three nominations for his half hour edition. Conan O’Brien mixed sincere gratitude with a wacky joke

“I have an excellent staff and I’m very happy to see them recognized with 3 Emmy Nominations,” O’Brien said in a statement. “Next stop: the Latin Grammys.”

Amy Sedaris launched her comedic variety show At Home with Amy Sedaris and earned two Emmy nominations. Maybe she’ll do an episode on how to prepare for an awards show!

“It’s always nice to be invited to a party!” Sedaris said in a statement. “Thanks so much to the Television Academy for nominating us again and everyone at truTV, the writers, cast and crew for making our show possible. I must admit this year’s Emmy nomination is slightly bittersweet – I had my eye on hosting.”

Netflix swept reality TV too. For his nomination for Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program, Somebody Feed Phil Host and Executive Producer Phil Rosenthal said in a statement, “I’m thrilled for our team who work so hard trying to make me look sexy. The best thing about this is that hopefully I get to keep working with my friends, my family, meeting new families around the world, and eating all their food.”

Meanwhile, Netflix’s Chef’s Table earned a nomination for Outstanding Documentary or Non-Fiction series. “It’s a huge honor to be nominated amongst such great company, and we are thrilled to see Chef’s Table continue to receive recognition as the show has evolved over the years,” Creator and EP David Gelb said in a statement. “We are beyond grateful – to Netflix for believing in us, and to our chefs for sharing their lives with us and the world.”

The Fab Five celebrated Queer Eye’s six nominations including Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program with group hugs.

National Geographic swept documentary categories as one should expect from the longtime contender. Angela Bassett earned a nomination for Outstanding Narration for The Flood.

“I am deeply honored to receive this Emmy nomination for such an important project,” Bassett said in a statement. “I truly hope it will bring more much-needed attention to this rarely seen kingdom of resilient, beautiful animals in a way that inspires everyone to help protect it for years to come.”

Hostile Planet received three nominations including Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series.

“It’s been so inspiring to be part of Hostile Planet, a series unlike any other that I’ve been involved in before,” Host and EP Bear Grylls said in a statement. “There’s no doubt that it shines new light on how unforgiving and challenging life can be for animals at the toughest of times. I’m incredibly grateful to the Television Academy for honoring my role in this groundbreaking series and to National Geographic for the privilege of being able to guide viewers through these powerful, and at times shocking stories of survival.”

The Emmys air September 22 at on Fox.

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