“I don’t really believe in judging art. But I thought I’d show up just in case. Turned out alright.” – Damian Lewis
We have Prime Time Emmy Awards coming up this Sunday. As much as I believe it is a crime that we do not have stakes in this year’s Emmys, I will just keep calm and carry on taking us all back to 2012 Emmy Awards and re-live Damian’s BIG MOMENT!
Well, it all starts with the nomination. Homeland scores BIG in Prime Time Emmy nominations – it is not just a record number of nominations for Showtime and but also the highest for any freshman series that year!
Entertainment Weekly asks Damian how he feels about his nomination just after the Emmy nominations are announced.
“I’m really thrilled. Over the moon. I was asleep. So I was just getting some extra zzzzs and I woke up with my phone buzzing next to my head.”
And what does he think about the rewarding quality of such a major awards nomination?
“Everyone is always trying to be sort of tasteful about awards and it’s the work that’s important and awards don’t really matter. Of course, it’s nice when you get nominated. It’s ostensibly an Emmy. And it’s a recognition. It’s being in the club and just saying “We thought you handful of guys and girls did amazing work so we’d like to recognize that.” I wanna be a member of this club.”
September 23, 2012: Here we are at the Nokia Theater in downtown Los Angeles. This evening will go into history as the one that Damian wins an Emmy. Damian does not know that yet. And this evening will also go into history as the one that Damian Lewis makes his entrance into my life. And I do not know that yet, either.
The Red Carpet
Here is Damian Lewis, ladies and gentlemen, with his lovely wife Helen McCrory at the 2012 Prime Time Emmy Awards.
I just cannot think of a better way of putting how good these two look together than Vogue put it a few years ago in an interview with the couple:
“Separately, they are engaging. Together, they are a little bit intoxicating.”
Indeed.
Helen is dazzling in her floor-length Luisa Beccaria gown and Damian is dashing in his Tom Ford’s rakish shawl-collared tux with Ford’s signature ’70s-style butterfly bow tie.
Ok. Here is a closer shot.
Big Moment
I vividly remember it. I am in my living room glued to the TV watching the Emmys and rooting for Mad Men and in particular Jon Hamm (Don Draper, anyone?) to win the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.
Me: “Come on, Jon, come on!”
Julianna Marguiles: “…and the Emmy goes to… Damian Lewis!”
Me: “Who the hell is Damian Lewis?”
Damian Lewis comes to stage, receives his award and makes a fun speech.
“Well, Manon and Gulliver, daddy just won an Emma.”
As I find out about Damian himself at the Emmy Awards, I find out that he is “one of those pesky Brits” there as well. The fun fact is that many viewers that already knew and loved him as Dick Winters in Band of Brothers and Charlie Crews in Life had no clue that Damian was British until they heard his acceptance speech.
A Telegraph article reports about the surprise:
“When Damian Lewis was named best actor at the Emmy Awards for his role in Homeland, he wore an expression of surprised delight.
For American audiences watching at home, the surprise was even greater. It turns out that many viewers had no idea until they heard his acceptance speech that the man playing US Marine Sergeant Nicholas Brody was British.
“Wait … the guy from Homeland is British?” was typical of hundreds of comments on Twitter, as the actor began giving his thanks.
“Who knew Brody from Homeland was British? I guess he really does deserve the Emmy,” said one, while another fan joked: “Hearing Damian Lewis speak with a British accent is like being told Santa Claus isn’t real.”
😀
Interviews
Minutes after receiving the award, Damian Lewis is in the press room answering questions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSQuVnmsPjA
And as he talks to Access Hollywood Damian is joined by his co-star Claire Danes who has also just received her Emmy and paid a wonderful tribute to her co-star in her acceptance speech:
“He did the magnificent trick of taking a villain and making them someone so human.”
And Damian and Claire are beyond hilarious together especially when they talk about Claire’s pregnancy!
Damian: “They keep asking me about your baby. Like I know anything about it.”
Claire: “You know as much as I do.”
Damian: “Yes. No! I don’t! That’s the wrong answer!”
It’s just so delightful seeing this guy’s playful side.
The Party
Well, Damian hits the parties with two beautiful ladies: “Emma” and Helen! Well done!
I remember being totally thrilled that night that he had that lovely statuette in his hand! However, many of us, at least those fans who were “Bunnies” knew quite well he was British, as early as 2001, immediately after Band of Brothers. In fact, some of our British friends were familiar with him even before the initial airing of BoB, due to several appearances on TV and his role in Warriors. Of course, prior to Life and Homeland, there was The Forsyte Saga, He didn’t have to work on his American accent for that one!
I remember being totally thrilled for Damian a few months later at the Golden Globes 😀 I literally “met” Damian for the first time in my life at Emmys 2012. I had NO IDEA about who he was — well, the rest is history :))) Thanks to our fan stories projects, we have found out so many interesting ways through which people got to find out about Damian. From the news quiz show Have I got News for You to his stage work in 1990s. In my case: I am a believer in “better late than never” 😀
Thank you for reminding me of Warriors. Need to write about that soon. It is a very good piece of work, too, and like in BoB, the young cast is amazing.
Why were you called Bunnies?