Kieran Culkin at the Emmys in Los Angeles on Jan. 15, 2024.Photo:FOX
FOX
It was a night to remember for the 2023Emmy Awards' outstanding lead actor!
Succession’sBrian Cox,Jeremy StrongandKieran Culkinscored half this year’s nods, withThe Old Man’sJeff Bridges,Better Call SaulstarBob OdenkirkandPedro PascalfromThe Last of Usrounding out the category.
After Culkin, 41, was announced as the winner — following victories at both theGolden Globe AwardsandCritics Choice Awardsover the past eight days — he took the stage where he teared up as he thanked his mother “for giving me life and my childhood, which was great. So thank you for that.”
Culkin also thanked his “beautiful wife,“Jazz Charton, “for sharing your life with me and for giving metwo amazing kids.”
“And Jazz, I want more. You saidmaybe, if I win!” he concluded with a laugh, as Charton, 35, laughed and applauded from her seat.
Culkin reprised his role as Roman Roy in the final season ofSuccession, portraying the typically cocky character’s descent into a battered place both physically and emotionally.
The actor opened up about building chemistry with his costarJ. Smith-Cameron, telling theAssociated Press, “It’s nice to work with that lady, I mean, look at her … it’s a joy. I’ve been friends with J for nearly 20 years or so. I was just really excited when she got to play this part, which I believe was initially written to be a man.”
Kieran Culkin onSuccession.Macall B. Polay/HBO
“It feels like the [chemistry] thing just sorta happened on its own and grew,” Culkin noted. “She’s a lovely scene partner and it’s fantastic to work with her.”
Successiondominated the 2023Emmys nominationswith a whopping 27 nods this year.
Bob Odenkirk onBetter Call Saul.Greg Lewis/AMC/Sony Pictures Television
For the final season of theBreaking BadspinoffBetter Call Saul, Odenkirk returned as titular criminal–turned–lawyer Saul Goodman.
In addition to praisingSaul’s co-creatorsVince Gilligan and Peter Gould, Odenkirk shared his appreciation for fans' support over the years.
“Thanks for giving us a chance. We came out of maybe a lot of people’s most favorite show ever, and we could have been hated for simply trying to do a show,” he said. “But we weren’t. We were given a chance, and hopefully we made the most of it. Thank you for staying with us.”
Odenkirk has previously been nominated five times in this category for his role inBetter Call Saul.The show is also up for outstanding drama series and Odenkirk’s costarRhea Seehornreceived a 2023 nomination for outstanding supporting actress in a drama series.
Brian Cox onSuccession.Macall B. Polay/HBO
Cox played media patriarch Logan Roy onSuccessionfor three seasons and as many episodes up until the character’sshocking deathearly into the final season of the HBO series.
The 77-year-old actor, who has previously been nominated three times in the same Emmys category, opened up about howthe success of the showwas related to how it held a mirror up to society.
Cox went on to reveal what he would miss most about working onSuccession: “It’s the cast. I’ll miss the cast and the crew, the camera guys, we got great camera operators. We got to be we’ve got a couple of great DPs. So you know, it’s the whole shebang.”
Jeff Bridges onThe Old Man.Kurt Iswarienko/FX
When asked if his character was attempting to find his true identity, the 74-year-old actor responded at an FX FYC panel in June, “Aren’t we all? I certainly am, especially in these times. You don’t really know who you are until you’re tested, somehow.”
“These times are testing us all, I think. And Dan Chase gets very tested,” Bridges added of the character, perVariety.“He’s a CIA guy doing CIA work, pretending to be somebody else. He’s acting for his life, man.”
“The script keeps giving you more balls to juggle,” he continued with a chuckle.
Jeremy Strong onSuccession.HBO
HBO
“It was hard for me to watch last night, what he goes through, because he’s become very real to me, and in a way is indistinguishable from myself,” he toldVanity Fair. “This, to me, was a life and death thing. And I took it as seriously as I take my own life.
“When you’re doing it, the whole world turns on it, and it matters more than anything in the world to me,” Strong continued. “But then when it’s over, it’s, it’s like vapor. So I feel very detached from it. As an audience member, it feels like I’m watching somebody else.”
Pedro Pascal onThe Last of Us.Liane Hentscher/HBO
Pascal, 48, stars inThe Last of Usas Joel, the stand-in father figure on a mission to deliver 14-year-old Ellie (Bella Ramsey) into the hands of scientists in hopes she can save a post-apocalyptic world.
The two stars formed aclose friendshipoff screen. “I couldn’t have asked for a more anchoring, generous, thoughtful teenager. And I don’t mean to say that in a patronizing way,” Pascal said during aVariety’s Actors on Actorschat withBeefstarSteven Yeun.
He continued, “I relied on Bella for so much of the experience. We were both scared and shy about that, but Bella just inspired me to be mature about it.”
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The Last of Usalso scored a nod for outstanding drama series, and Ramsey, 20, earned a nomination in the outstanding lead actress in a drama series for their performance.
SeePEOPLE’s full coverageof the 75th annual Primetime Emmy Awards as they’re broadcasting live on Fox from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
source: people.com
