Rami Malek cried over Jimmy Kimmel at Emmys
Rami Malek cried all over Jimmy Kimmel at the Emmy Awards.
The 35-year-old actor picked up his very first Emmy award on Sunday (09.18.16) when he took home the gong for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama for his performance in ‘Mr. Robot’, and to say he was emotional would be an understatement.
Speaking to reporters backstage, the star said: "The emotion just poured out of me. I was hugging Jimmy Kimmel and crying at the same time. I was trying to not get anything on his suit. I truly was waiting to hear someone else’s name. When I heard my name, I said, ‘Do not move. Because it wasn’t you.’ And faces started to turn toward me. I must have looked like I was in shock."
The win for Rami – who was born in Los Angeles to Egyptian parents – is also a positive step towards a more diverse award ceremony, and the ‘Need For Speed’ actor admitted his win means the industry can continue to "strive to be as progressive as possible".
He said: "For me to stand here as not the typical leading man and coming home with this speaks a lot about where we are headed. And we can go further in that direction, not just in entertainment, but socially and politically, to strive to be as progressive as possible."
And Rami – who won his award for his portrayal of the socially awkward and reclusive Elliot Anderson in the hit series – also made sure to honor outcasts everywhere when he accepted his award, saying there was "a little bit of Elliot in all of us".
He said: "I play a young man who is, like so many of us, profoundly alienated. And the unfortunate thing is I’m not sure how many of us would want to hang out with a guy like Elliot. But I want to honor the Elliots, ’cause there’s a little bit of Elliot in all of us."
