Hannah Waddingham And Brett Goldstein Kick Off Ted Lasso Supremacy At The Emmys
Surprising absolutely no one, "Ted Lasso" just stole the first two awards of the night! The 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards kicked off with Best Supporting Actor and Actress in a Comedy Series, which went to two of the show's brightest stars: Hannah Waddingham and Brett Goldstein.
Hannah Waddingham Wins Best Supporting Actress
Emotions run high in the world of "Ted Lasso" because, as the show has so clearly proven, sports can make you cry. Two of the performers holding down the fort for tearjerking moments are Waddingham and Goldstein, whose characters grow immensely over the course of season 1.
Waddingham's Rebecca Welton began the series as our resident evil boss lady, planning to tank her ex-husband's happiness by ruining his favorite football club. Her misguided plan was made in the hopes of finding some sense of relief from the pain of her divorce. She wanted to find joy in torturing her husband, but quickly discovered that hurting AFC Richmond to hurt Rupert (Anthony Head) was no good for anyone involved.
Thanks to the help of Lasso's infectious spirit (and very delicious cookies), Rebecca instead opened her heart to everyone around her. Waddingham is a shining light on the show, imbuing her character with so much light and nuance that the humanity of Rebecca overtakes even her most reprehensible actions. All that she does is rooted in pain, and Waddingham never lets us forget it.
Of course, Rebecca is so much more than the hurt she endures. Honestly, Waddingham should probably get a second award for her musical performances on the show, which routinely blow us all away. She really knows how to be the cherry on top of an already perfect Christmas episode or bring an unfair amount of talent to some casual karaoke. Plus, her friendship with Keeley (Juno Temple) and relationship with Higgins are both such a necessary source of joy. In her heartfelt speech Waddingham credited Temple, saying, "There is no Rebecca without Keeley."
Brett Goldstein Wins Best Supporting Actor
Also very deserving is Brett Goldstein as our favorite loveable sourpuss, Roy Kent. Where would we be without his irritated growls? Goldstein has taken the internet by storm for very good reason — not just the fact that he may or may not be a CGI creation, but for gifting us with Roy Kent.
Despite his scratchy beard and tendency to growl at small children, Roy is one of the most lovable characters in the "Ted Lasso" cast. And being the amazing writer that he is, Goldstein also knows how to deliver a beautiful speech with lots and lots of tripping over his words. Shockingly, he managed to keep his speech free of the usual lovely Kent cuss words.
"Ted Lasso" has a whopping 20 Emmy nominations tonight, so don't be surprised to hear its name called out a few more times.