Rami Malek On 2016 Emmys Win: ‘Please Tell Me You’re Seeing This Too’
Rami Malek was stunned when he won his first-ever Emmy award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Elliot Alderson on the USA Network series Mr. Robot.
At the 68th annual Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday night (September 18), the actor couldn’t believe it when his name was called. Rami Malek appeared visibly shocked when he received his trophy.
‘Mr. Robot’ star Rami Malek briefly became Elliot Alderson in his Emmy acceptance speech https://t.co/dB3u11DEXL pic.twitter.com/eIw7hejkeG
— GQ Magazine (@GQMagazine) September 19, 2016
We are. #Emmys pic.twitter.com/1ASwXZKyOY
— Deadline Hollywood (@Deadline) September 19, 2016
“Please tell me you’re seeing this too,” Malek told the audience, playing off the character’s paranoia, as seen in the series. “I’m honored to stand here and represent my family and every single person who has helped me to get this far. I’m honored to work with a pure visionary in [showrunner] Sam Esmail. I wouldn’t be here without you.”
Malek first captivated audiences in Mr. Robot’s first season, reports Entertainment Weekly. The compelling role also earned Malek a Golden Globe nomination earlier this year. Mr. Robot will wrap up the show’s second season this Wednesday. Malek perfectly portrays Elliot, who he revealed he wanted to make relatable to the audience.
“I play a young man who I think, like so many of us, is profoundly alienated. Unfortunately, I’m not so sure how many of us would want to hang out with a guy like Elliot, but I want to honor all the Elliots, because there’s a little bit of Elliot in all of us.”
Backstage during his press interview, Malek told the reporters that his Emmys win will be a “moment that obviously will be etched in my memory.”
“For me to stand here as not the typical leading man, and to have come home with this I think speaks a lot about where we’re headed,” the 35-year-old actor said, “and I think we can just keep going further in that direction — obviously not just limited to entertainment, but socially and politically to continue and strive to be as progressive as possible.”
Malek was faced with some big contenders at the 2016 Emmys, notes E! Online. He was up against Kylie Chandler (Bloodline), Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul), Matthew Rhys (The Americans), Liev Schreiber (Ray Donovan), and Kevin Spacey (House of Cards). Malek explained his shock reaction to E! News’ Catt Salder after the show.
“You hear people say that it is an out-of-body experience and there’s no way to prepare for it, but I seriously sat there and thought, ‘Was it my name?’ Like, ‘Please, Rami, don’t stand up if you don’t think you really heard your name. Then I got out of my chair and walked onstage. I was like, ‘This might be actually happening.’ My mind was blown.”
Malek then added that he was humbled to be in the company of such “phenomenal, magnificent” actors. He joked to E! News that he was practicing his losing face before the awards ceremony. Malek even shared his reaction when he heard that he was cast to star in the hit television series.
“I’m just not the typical male lead. I was like, ‘Come on, guys! They’re never going to put me in the role of the young lead,'” he said. “It shows that times are changing, people are more progressive, and I think this is more the look of America than it has ever been, with guys like Aziz Ansari and so many others. It’s f***ing amazing to see!”
When Rami Malek stepped onto the red carpet at the Emmys, he wore a white Dior tuxedo jacket, which he paired with a white button-down shirt, a big black bowtie, and black tuxedo pants.
Check out Rami Malek’s acceptance speech and interviews at the 2016 Emmys in the videos below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z03EQOGfi8c
[Featured Image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]
