That was quite a proposal
Glenn Weiss pops the question and makes TV stars pop off their seats in the ceremony’s sweetest moment
If Monday’s Emmys had a category for best acceptance speech, there’s no doubt who the winner would have been.
While accepting his Emmy in directing for a variety special for his work on “The Oscars” — his 14th overall — Glenn Weiss went offscript and gave the ceremony its first-ever marriage proposal. (That’s assuming you don’t count Kit Harington popping the question to Andy Samberg at the 2016 Emmys, which honestly, we don’t.)
“You wonder why I don’t like to call you my girlfriend,” Weiss said, addressing his partner, Jan Svendsen, from the stage. “It’s because I’d like to call you my wife.”
Svendsen seemed stunned and overwhelmed as she sat in her seat. The audience was also shocked: “Saturday Night Live” cast member Leslie Jones’ slack-jawed reaction went viral.
A wave of excitement then swept through the crowd as Svendsen made her way to the stage, although Weiss joked, “I didn’t ask yet!”
“This is the ring that my dad put on my mom’s finger 67 years ago,” Weiss declared to Svendsen as he took her hand. “And to my brothers and sisters, I didn’t swipe it. Dad knows I have it.”
He then knelt and formally popped the question. And of course, she said, “Yes!” — Libby Hill Feeling ‘surreal’
Clutching his Emmy statuette backstage, Bill Hader reflected on what he called a “surreal” win for lead actor in a comedy for HBO’s “Barry.”
The series, which also marked Hader’s directorial debut, features the former “Saturday Night Live” star as a depressed professional killer who attempts to make a life change after attending acting classes.
“I legit don’t know what I said up there,” he said with a laugh. “I had to ask my publicist.”
Hader admitted he wasn’t really expecting to receive the honor, expecting that the winner would be Ted Danson of “The Good Place” or “Atlanta” star and creator Donald Glover.
Adding to the thrill of his victory was seeing his costar Henry Winkler score his first Emmy for supporting actor in a comedy: “Just seeing him up there, it was great. You’re only really as good as the company you’re in. Henry would push me in a way to give that performance and vice versa.”
The actor said the night seemed like a dream come true. “My dad gave me a hug and said this is always what you wanted to do,” Hader said. “Directing and writing and acting. That meant a lot.” — Makeda Easter A ‘very sad’ last scene
As Peter Dinklage of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” arrived backstage after collecting his third Emmy for supporting actor in a drama, he addressed rumors that he didn’t originally want the role of Tyrion Lannister in the epic series.
“Where’d you hear that?” he said. “That’s nonsense. How did that rumor get started?”
He admitted that he’d been concerned about the genre, particularly because he hadn’t read the books and wasn’t yet familiar with the “complexity of Tyrion.”
“Many times people my size aren’t complicated enough for me to be interested in doing it,” he said. “But [“Game of Thrones” producers] relieved my concerns very quickly.” Dinklage revealed that he filmed his last scene on the “Game of Thrones” set back in July, saying it was “very sad.” HBO is expected to air the eighth and final season sometime next year.
“This is not only a great TV show to be a part of, but it was an enormous family to be a part of,” he said. “And I’m sure you’ve heard that before from actors, but in this case, I was far from home. I live in N.Y. and we shot the show over in Europe so many times I had to stay there; I wasn’t able to go home on the weekends so I really developed deep roots in the community, deep roots in Ireland and some of the other countries we shot in.”
“How do you top this?” one journalist asked the actor.
“How do I top ‘Game of Thrones?’ Or winning an Emmy? Or everything?” Dinklage responded. “You just keep searching, hoping that the next writer you come across is equally as talented as [showrunners] David Benioff and Dan Weiss.” He added, “I absolutely adored this character and the stories we were telling. It’s just so beautiful when other people feel the same way you do.” — Sonaiya Kelley A royal f inale
Not long after taking the stage to accept her Emmy for lead actress in a drama, “The Crown’s” Claire Foy made her way through the lobby alongside co-star Matt Smith. As fans beseeched Foy for a selfie as they passed, Smith stood by his castmate, who portrays Queen Elizabeth II on the Netflix drama, just as his character — Prince Philip — might.
“That was fantastic to see her up there,” Smith, who was also a nominee, told The Times. “She’s so deserving.”
Foy’s win marks a celebratory end to her run as the royal monarch. The actress finished her stint as the character with the show’s second season. Olivia Colman will take over the role when the drama returns for its third season. — Yvonne Villarreal Lessons in acting
Sixty-three-year old actor Jeff Daniels used his time backstage at the Emmys press room to give a mini-lesson on the craft of acting.
The two-time Emmy winner scored an award for supporting actor in a limited series for his role as a scripture-spouting villain in Netflix’s feminist western “Godless.” He was also nominated this year for lead actor in a limited series for Hulu’s “The Looming Tower.”
“You don’t want to get caught going for the joke in a comedy. In a drama, you look for the humor. It’s kind of basic,” he said. “Also Meryl [Streep] taught me this — I leave a lot to chance now … you just get the basic idea of what this guy is thinking and then jump off the cliff and start flapping your arms.”
Daniels was also behind one of the more memorable moments of the Emmys broadcast with his acceptance speech, during which he thanked his horse on the show, which he noted was also used by Jeff Bridges in “True Grit.” “Little tip for you young actors,” Daniels added in reference to breaking his wrist after falling from the horse. “When they call and ask if you can ride a horse, don’t lie.”
With a career spanning nearly 40 years, Daniels reflected on his versatility playing dramatic roles and others like airhead Harry Dunne in 1994’s “Dumb and Dumber.” “You don’t just act stupid or be dumb, it’s got to be specific, you start thinking like them,” he said. “And how soon can you forget about the camera. You learn all the mechanical techniques and then you put them in the back of your mind and try not to think about them.” — Makeda Easter Parental pride
“Killing Eve” star Sandra Oh made history when she scored a nomination for lead actress in a drama, becoming the first woman of Asian descent in Emmy history to achieve the feat.
But she scored more major points with her parents, who accompanied her to the ceremony Monday. Her mother and father seemed thrilled as their actress daughter took them on the red carpet, introducing them to hosts and celebrities.
A key objective for the former “Grey’s Anatomy” star was to introduce her parents to Milo Ventimiglia of “This Is Us.” She succeeded. — Yvonne Villarreal A late start
Unable to reach their seats inside the Microsoft Theater by the Emmys’ 5 p.m. start time, Jesse Plemons, nominated for his role on “Black Mirror: USS Callister” and fiancée Kirsten Dunst hung outside in the lobby with the other latecomers until the first commercial break.
“I didn’t think we were that late,” Dunst told The Times. “You’d think they’d have the courtesy to let us get a drink.” (The concessions at the theater don’t open until 5:10 p.m.) “There was a lot of people in the rush to get in,” added Plemons. “It was so hot outside too.” — Yvonne Villarreal Something, indeed
Tiffany Haddish arrived backstage resplendent in a custommade rainbow-striped dress inspired by the colors of the Eritrean flag, an homage to her late father’s heritage. (“This is the only one that’s out there right now,” she said. “This is an original.”)
Haddish was announced as the winner of the guest actress in a comedy series award last week at the Creative Arts Emmys for her “Saturday Night Live” hosting gig.
“It was hard to believe that you were actually the first African American woman to host ‘SNL...’ ” one reporter began.
“I wasn’t the first African American woman, I was the first African American female stand-up comedian,” Haddish corrected.
The reporter continued by suggesting the hosting gig was responsible for Haddish’s quick ascent to stardom. “Girl, my career had took off when I got onstage for the first time,” Haddish said, politely but firmly. “I knew I was going to be something; I just didn’t know how long it was going to take. And it’s been almost 20 years.”