Los Angeles:
Phoebe Waller-Bridge emerged a triple winner at Emmys 2019 as the writer-actor took home the prize for lead actress in a comedy series, best comedy series and best comedy writing for her very personal dark comedy “Fleabag”.
Waller-Bridge won the best actress trophy for the series on an angry, confused and sexually active woman in her 30s, besting Emmy favourite Julia Louis-Dreyfus (“Veep”) which came as a surprise.
“No! Oh my God, no!” she exclaimed as she took the stage.
The actor recognised the contribution of her fellow nominees, show’s director Harry Bradbeer and producers Amazon and BBC.
“I find acting really hard and really painful. Thank you to be nominated with these unbelievable actresses who I’ve looked up to and watched and laughed with for so many years it means so much. I mean that in a nice way. And this means a huge amount to me. Huge thanks again the ‘Fleabag’ gang, there they are, thank you so much.
“I’m so supported on the show. As Harry said, it’s sickening how much we all love each other. I’m so supported by this wonderful cast. A big shout-out to my acting agent, who has been rooting for me literally from the very beginning,” she said.
As she accepted the award of best comedy writing, she said it was wonderful and reassuring to know that “a dirty, pervy, angry and messed-up woman can make it to the Emmys.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actor quipped the possibility of winning awards was the reason she wrote the series in the first place.
“I find writing really hard and really painful, but I’d like to say from the bottom of my heart that the reason that I do it is this. So it’s made it all really worth it guys, thank you so much,” she said.
On winning the Emmy for best comedy series, Waller-Bridge went up the stage with her “Fleabag” team and couldn’t stop herself from saying, “This is getting ridiculous!”
“‘Fleabag’ started as a one-woman show at the Edinburgh Festival in 2014, and the journey has been absolutely mental to get here. I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone whose involved, everyone whose standing behind me here. Some unbelievable team,” she said.
She also gave a shout-out to Andrew Scott’s ‘Hot Priest’, the love interest of Fleabag in the second and final season of the Amazon show.
“Season two would not have exploded in the way that it did if it wasn’t for Andrew Scott, who came into our ‘Fleabag’ world like a whirlwind and gave a performance of such depth and complexity it elevated the whole thing.”
Bradbeer bagged the Emmy for best director for a comedy series for “Fleabag”.
“I think for a director, something like ‘Fleabag’ only comes along once in your life. Thank you Phoebe for coming into my life like some kind of glorious grenade. Scientists are still trying to work out how someone so incredibly talented can be so utterly lovely,” Bradbeer said in his acceptance speech.
Jodie Comer won best leading drama actress for playing Villanelle in Waller-Bridge’s “Killing Eve”.
The show has emerged second-ever comedy series win or Amazon, after “The Marvelous Mrs Maisel”.
