What goes through the mind of a newly-minted Emmy winner? Because Hollywood.com had a ringside seat backstage at the Shrine Auditorium as the parade of stars streamed off the stage at the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, we can tell you the answers:
Megan Mullally on a bizarre forecast on her future as an Emmy winner:
“When I was about 20 or 21 I lived in Chicago and I went to a psychic—and I haven’t been to many, this is one of maybe three—I went to a psychic who told me that I was going to win two Emmys that would be like bookends for playing a secretary on a sitcom. I said, ‘No, I’m not, because I am not going to do sitcoms I am a great actress, I am going to do film and, like, change the world.’ And he was like ‘No, you aren’t.’ Isn’t that weird?”
Jeremy Piven on finding his inner Ari:
“You have to highlight certain parts of yourself and explore and heighten them to connect with a character. So if it is the fact that I have incredible road rage if I take that and then focus that into Ari in quite a few different moments—it works. I could never be an agent, and an agent like Ari Gold could never represent an actor like Jeremy Piven, because I want to go do plays and I want to just be an actor. The paycheck I am not concerned about, so I try to gravitate towards characters that are tragically flawed so I can have fun with them, and I got lucky with this one. This had one written scene in the pilot. I was billed fifth behind a guy named Turtle. Remember that.”
Dame Helen Mirren on what goes through the mind of an Emmy winner taking the stage in six-inch high “stripper shoes”:
“God, don’t let me fall down! Please, God, don’t let me fall down! Please, God, don’t let me fall down! Please, God, don’t let me make an idiot of myself! Please, God, don’t let me make an idiot of myself!”
Barry Manilow on the secret to his longevity in show business:
“I think it’s the fans. I think they’ve been with me for all these years. I think these people are so beautiful that they just keep supporting what I do and I think the music holds up. I’ve always believed in my stuff no matter how much the critics have put me down. But I like ‘Weekend in New England’ and so do a lot of the public. It just goes to show you that if you hang in there long enough, you get one of these!”
Mariska Hargitay on Emmyhood vs. mommyhood:
“I was on maternity leave for two months so I’ve been a little out of the loop. When I had [daughter] August I thought, ‘How am I gonna go back to work?’ I was so in love with this kid. But I’m actually getting really excited about going back to work because the stories are so fresh and so exciting. The writers outdo themselves every week. The show in its eighth season keeps getting better and better. I won an Emmy in my eighth season, it’s crazy! On a police procedural. Who wins on a police procedural? I do! [Laugh].”
Kiefer Sutherland on his father, Donald Sutherland:
“You’re talking about one of the most prolific actors in film and television, period. The great things that I’ve learned from him have really been watching his work and on a couple there, occasionally being able to actually watch him work. But tonight, this was between a father and a son, a father who is happy for his son. And I was very glad that he was here tonight for something this nice to happen. So it wasn’t two actors at that point.”
Julia Louis-Dreyfus on stacking the deck in her favor:
“I had seen Victor Garber during rehearsal and I made a joke. I said, ‘Just do me a favor and just say my name no matter it says on the card,’ and he said, ‘I will.’ So when I came up, he said, ‘It was on the card!’”
Jeremy Irons on television vs. film:
“Strangely enough I’ve begun to think over the last couple of years, looking especially at American television, I suspect that there is better and more interesting work happening on television than there is in most movies. We used to be a bit snobbish about television work. When you’re a film actor you don’t work on television, but if you look at the standard that’s being made on television I think that there is nothing that you have to apologize about.”
Jaclyn Smith on reuniting with her Charlie’s Angels co-stars:
“It’s flattering that the show is still talked about 30 years later, and I think that Aaron Spelling is responsible for that because he knew how to put the magic together. He knew how to grab the public. It was a winning concept that holds with time. As far as the girls, we do see each other from time to time and we came together yesterday and it’s fun to see each other. It’s fun to hold hands and walk out on that stage as if time had stopped, because it’s 30 years. So that’s kind of awesome… It was fun to think that, ‘Hey, they remember us and the show had an impact.’ And that was fun to share with the other girls. I think that why Charlie’s Angels succeeded was the camaraderie of the girls and the bond that they had. That’s what that was about, and there’s nothing better than friendship.”
Dame Helen Mirren on sound motherly advice:
“The best advice I ever received was from my mother, who said, ‘Never be afraid of getting older, because as you get older you’ll find you love being whatever age you are.’ You can’t comprehend being 40 when you’re 20, but when you’re 40 it’s absolutely great to be 40.”
Barry Manilow on sharing the stage with Dick Clark:
“I didn’t say anything. He started to cry, so I just hugged him… I think he’s doing as great as can be expected. I mean, this is a stroke. Everybody gets it in a different way. You need to communicate and it stopped him from communicating. But I think he’s doing fine. When I talk to him on the phone, I can understand him. He’s still got his sense of humor. He’s still got his sense about him and you know, he’s getting through. He’s getting through… I think he introduced us to all sorts of great music. I mean, we wouldn’t have the music that we have without Dick Clark continually fighting to introduce pop music to the public.”
Megan Mullally on her character’s reaction to the IRS taxing celebrity gift bags:
“Karen wouldn’t mind paying the taxes because it wouldn’t make a dent. I feel like the gift bag has gotten so much attention in the media because it was a fun splashy thing to talk about. And now we are all getting screwed as a result. [Laughs]”
Jeremy Piven on who really deserves free swag:
“I think the goodie bags should be sent to New Orleans and sent to Katrina victims. Wouldn’t that be great? Don’t tax them, just give it to them.”
Julia Louis-Dreyfus on surviving in the new Hollywood:
“I relate to how hard show business is. It’s very hard television right now. The business landscape of television is utterly changed since I was on the air on Seinfeld. So getting a show on the air and having a show on the air and having it stick is a bigger challenge than ever. So I totally relate to that. I’m just so grateful we were picked up. I mean, I’m shooting my third episode of season two tomorrow. So I’m just so grateful we’re on the air, because there are so many good shows that are not on the air.”
Blythe Danner on sharing her award with her late husband Bruce Paltrow:
“This belongs to him because he had some wonderful shows on the air. St. Elsewhere and The White Shadow particularly. He was about to do a show for HBO. So he’s very missed, but this does belong to him.”
Megan Mullally on her prediction for the final fate of Bob Newhart:
“Oh, he is going to die, and it will be worth it because this is a good Emmys telecast. I mean, he is a lovely man and a brilliant comedian, but it is time.”
