Despite its reputation, Hollywood isn’t always driven by overnight success. The Envelope caught up with six acting veterans who earned their first-ever Emmy nominations last month — and who prove that great things really can come to those who wait.
Dale Dickey, ‘Widow’s Bay’
Category: Supporting actress in a comedy series Resume: 150 film and TV credits since 1995, including “Sordid Lives,” “My Name Is Earl” and “Winter’s Bone”
“I did not know what your phone blowing up really meant, except when people die,” says the longtime Angeleno, 64, who’s still somewhat in shock over the response to her performance as Rosemary, an irascible town hall staffer, in the Apple horror-comedy. “I’ve been astounded that people love Rosemary’s humor. That is all a credit to [creator-showrunner] Katie Dippold, [director] Hiro Murai and all the writers. They wrote me some great stuff and I had a great time. There was nothing better than annoying Matthew Rhys, which is Rosemary’s sole purpose.” As for Season 2, Dickey admits, “I want to know how this plays out.” So do millions of fans.
Ernest Harden Jr., ‘The Pitt’
Category: Guest actor in a drama series Résumé: 84 film and TV credits since 1975, including “Three Days of the Condor,” “The Jeffersons” and “White Men Can’t Jump”
When the 73-year-old L.A. resident learned “The Pitt” creators wanted him to play alcoholic “frequent ER flyer” Louie Cloverfield, rather than the smaller role he first auditioned for, he was disappointed. “Oh, gosh. Another Black man drunk,” Harden thought, before reconsidering and deciding, “I’m gonna make this guy as real as possible because alcoholism is a serious disease and it affects everybody.” He’s thrilled viewers have been so moved by his work. The actor remembers asking star-writer-director-EP Noah Wyle if Cloverfield would die. “He said, ‘America’s gonna cry for you, believe me. It’s gonna be glorious. Just trust me,’” says Harden. “And I did.” And it was.
Hamish Linklater, ‘Widow’s Bay’
Category: Guest actor in a comedy series Résumé: 69 film and TV credits since 2000, including “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” “The Big Short” and “Midnight Mass”
“I’m totally tickled. I’ve just been skipping up and down the street. It’s so delightful,” says the New Yorker, who was nominated for playing immortal island founder Richard Warren the day after his 50th birthday. “I’m not asking why. I’m just saying, ‘Thanks.’ ” He remembers turning 49 on the “Widow’s Bay” set. “I was being shoved into a coffin, screaming, ‘I wanna live! I wanna live!’ Which is appropriate on one’s birthday.” As for being resurrected for Season 2, Linklater admits he pitched Dippold. “I was like, ‘Hey, you’ve got ghosts on this show, you know? Just because I’m dead doesn’t mean I’m dead. Just because I’m a box full of dust doesn’t mean I need to stay that way.’”
Miriam Shor, ‘Pluribus’
Category: Guest actress in a drama series Résumé: 53 credits since 1997, including “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” “Younger” and “American Fiction”
“It’s my favorite show I’ve ever been a part of,” says the New Yorker, 55, of playing the late wife of Rhea Seehorn’s prickly romance novelist, likening her first Emmy nod to being treated to a free dessert after indulging in a fabulous meal. She describes Seehorn as perhaps “the easiest person to fall in love with that I’ve ever met. Other than my husband!” At press time, still no word on whether Shor’s coming back for Season 2, but she remains optimistic. “The memory of the person who is your person — whether they stay with you physically or not — never goes away,” she says. “It’s certainly the prism through which we see all the choices Carol makes.”
Carlos-Manuel Vesga, ‘Pluribus’
Category: Supporting actor in a drama series Résumé: 48 film and TV credits since 2000, all produced in Colombia
“I’d love to tell you that this is a dream come true, but really, this is something I hadn’t even allowed myself to dream of,” says the 50-year-old Colombian star — a bona fide household name in his native land — from his home in Bogotá. He still gets emotional recalling the remarkable reception he received landing on “Pluribus,” his first American set, to play one of 13 individuals in the world immune to an invading hive mind. “Everyone was applauding and smiling at me,” he says, confessing to having been extremely nervous. “It was like standing on Mars for me. Different country. Not in my first language. It was all very stressing when I got there. From the first moment, they were so sweet, welcoming and kind to me. I didn’t want to let them down.”
Lauren Weedman, ‘Hacks’
Category: Guest actress in a comedy series Résumé: 67 film and TV credits since 1999, including “Date Night,” “Looking” and “Abbott Elementary”
Weedman, 57, isn’t just grateful the “Hacks” creators invited her back after she had the temporarily disfiguring condition known as Bell’s palsy between Seasons 3 and 4, but that from the start they trusted her to do what she does best: improvise. “I love the part so much,” says the Angeleno of her hilarious Las Vegas mayor. “They let me bring so much of me into it. I think that’s it. To me, it’s the creators who have helped me.” More than anything, she hopes the nomination will boost her worth with Hollywood gatekeepers. “Does this mean I get to work more?” she asks, hungering for starring roles. “Throw me the ball. Like, let me play!”
The post 6 veteran actors on their hard-earned Emmy nods: ‘Does this mean I get more work?’ appeared first on Los Angeles Times.
