Irish actor Chris O’Dowd has won his first Creative Arts Emmy Award for his performance in short-form comedy series, State of the Union.
Produced by Sundance TV, the 10-part series saw O’Dowd feature alongside Academy Award-nominated actress Rosamund Pike as married couple Louise and Tom who meet in a pub immediately before their weekly marital therapy session. Each 10-minute long episode pieces together how their lives were, what drew them together, and what has started to pull them apart.
Speaking with IFTN, actor Chris O’Dowd said:
“I’m so proud of our little show and delighted we got to celebrate it last night. Many glasses were raised to home. Now If only awards cured sore heads.”
The show picked up an Emmy for ‘Outstanding Short-Form Comedy or Drama Series’ on Sunday along with awards for O’Dowd who won for ‘Actor in Short-Form Comedy’ and Pike, who won for ‘Actress in a Short-Form Comedy’.
However, this achievement has come as a slight shock to all involved, due to the fact that the show was initially snubbed for an Emmy nomination. AMC’s short-form series Better Call Saul Employee Training: Madrigal Electromotive Security received the nod ahead of the show until its nomination was reversed due to the show being deemed ineligible for competition.
Speaking backstage after receiving his award, Irish actor Chris O’Dowd joked that it “seems dodgy,” how State of the Union went from snub to win, “but I’m delighted. It’s a really strong show and I hope people get a chance to see it on Sundance. I’m so pleased we won. It’s better than the alternative.”