Rachel Brosnahan Wins First Emmy for Lead Actress in a Comedy
Midge Maisel is an Emmy winner!
Rachel Brosnahan won her first career Emmy at the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards on Monday for her performance as the eponymous heroine in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. The 27-year-old actress was visibly emotional as she walked onstage to collect her shiny new hardware, adorably play-fighting with Tiffany Haddish for the statuette.
"Thank you to our brilliant writers and creators Amy Sherman-Palladino and Dan Palladino. I'm going to be thanking you for the rest of my life for trusting me with your Midge," Brosnahan, wearing a one-shoulder red Oscar de la Renta gown and Tiffany drop earrings and rings, said onstage.
"One of the things that I love most about the show is it's about a woman who's finding her voice anew and it's something that's happening all over the country right now," she continued, using her platform to urge the public to vote. "One of the most important ways that we can find and use our voices is to vote. So if you haven't already registered, do it on your cell phone right now. Vote, show up and bring a friend to the polls."
Brosnahan, who was previously nominated for her dramatic work on House of Cards in 2015, beat out a who's-who among the top women in comedy: Pamela Adlon from Better Things, Allison Janney from Mom, Issa Rae from Insecure, Tracee Ellis Ross from Black-ish and Lily Tomlin from Grace and Frankie.
This was also the first year, since 2012, that perennial Emmy favorite Julia Louis-Dreyfus (who's won the last six Emmys in this category) was ineligible for Veep.
"It's crazy either way," Brosnahan told ET in July of her Emmy recognition. "It means a lot. The show has been really challenging and equally fulfilling, and it's certainly the hardest thing I've ever done."
Funnily enough, prior to Mrs. Maisel, Brosnahan had been known for her dramatic roles, a fact the actress -- who won the Golden Globe earlier this year -- can't help but chuckle at, when her name has become synonymous with comedy. "That's where I trusted myself the most and so this has been so scary, but so fulfilling. This is the dream. How often does someone let you stretch yourself in this way and I'm eternally and forever grateful and indebted to [creators] Amy [Sherman-Palladino] and Dan [Palladino] for this opportunity, for letting me try this and trusting me with their baby."
While she's had a season under her belt playing the Jewish housewife-turned-aspiring comedian, Brosnahan shared that she's still discovering the intricacies of her character in season two, which hits Amazon Prime this fall.
"It's always a learning process, and that's one of the most exciting parts of playing this character is her eyes were opened in a whole new way to the world around her, starting with the first episode. She's in a constant state of discovery and that lets me be in a constant state of discovery right alongside her. Some things have gotten easier and I''m a bit little more used to doing stand-up in front of a lot of people."
The 70th Emmy Awards, hosted by Saturday Night Live’s Colin Jost and Michael Che, will air live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Monday, Sept. 17, starting at 5 p.m. PT on NBC.
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