The 2022 Emmy Awards started off with a colorful number from host Kenan Thompson and led into “the queen of all thrones,” Oprah Winfrey announcing Michael Keaton as the winner of Lead Actor in a Limited Series.
“You have about 90 of these, don’t you?” the Dopesick actor joked to Oprah to open his acceptance speech about believing in oneself. Keaton also spoke about how television shaped his childhood and how he fell in love with acting by reenacting scenes from “all of the cowboy shows” he used to watch.
He revealed his family encouraged him to act out those scenes in front of them and said, “I want to thank them. I want to just thank all those people in my family for never making me feel foolish, because I went on to do that several times myself!”
After Keaton walked off stage, The White Lotus’ Murray Bartlett was announced as this year’s winner for Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series.
He won out against fellow Emmy-nominated White Lotus alums Steve Zahn and Jake Lacey.
Bartlett kept his speech focused on his castmates, friends and family for their support. He had a poignant shout out to his mother, who was watching from Australia. He thanked her for “the most wonderful foundation of unconditional love and inspiring me to believe that we can all do that for each other. Thank you, mom!”
He hoisted up his sparkling Emmy and finished, “And thank you for this!”
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