Handmaid's Tale, Mrs. Maisel guest stars capture early Emmys

A trio of Emmy-honoured actors are winners again for their guest performances in TV series, joined by an awards newcomer.

Bradley Whitford and Cherry Jones received trophies for their The Handmaid's Taleroles at Sunday's creative arts Emmy ceremony.

Jane Lynch and Luke Kirby won on the comedy side, both for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

Game of Thronesled with 10 Emmys in technical and other categories at the two-night weekend ceremony, which is the precursor to the main Emmy Awards that will air Sept. 22 on Fox.

The 10 wins included a trophy for Halifax's Paula Fairfield in the sound editing category as part of the team on the HBO drama. It's Fairfield's second win after nabbing a trophy for the same series in 2015. She's been nominated for Game of Thronesin four other years, and received three previous nominations for work on ABC/CTV's Lost.

Meanwhile, Montreal-based Elisabeth Williams was among the team of winners for best production design for The Handmaid's Tale,which airs on Crave. She also won last year for the series, and earned a nomination in 2016 for FX's Fargo.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maiselwas the top comedy series winner, with six awards.

Stage and screen star Jones, who previously won for 24,heaped praise backstage on fellow nominee Phylicia Rashad (This Is Us), calling it "absurd" that Rashad has yet to win an Emmy despite four nominations, and saluted Cicely Tyson, nominated for How to Get Away with Murder.

"I got to tell Ms. Tyson tonight that watching the Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. is one of the things that made me want to be an actress, and I tell her that every time I see her and she always rolls her eyes," Jones said.

Whitford has an Emmy for The West Wingand one for Transparent the latter for guest actor in a comedy, making him the first actor to win comedy and drama guest star Emmys.

In his acceptance speech, Whitford struck a political note as he thanked Margaret Atwood for the titular novel that is the basis of the dystopian The Handmaid's Tale.

Atwood is "giving us perspective in this disorienting moment as we are inundated and undermined by a misogynistic, radical, right-wing ideology," he said.

"She understands three things: Despair is not an option. Our children can't afford it. Action is the antidote to despair."

'They inspire me'

Lynch, who added to her four previous Emmys for series including Gleeand Hollywood Game Night,said she based her portrayal of a 1950s comic on the women she grew up watching.

"I went right to the source: Phyllis Diller, Totie Fields, Moms Mabley," Lynch said.

"Back then, in order for a woman to be in comedy, she had to have a gimmick. Usually that meant cracking wise about her own looks, her bad body, how she can't hold on to a man . but these women did it with such panache and style and such self-possession, and they inspire me."

Canadian actor Kirby, who played Lenny Bruce on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, has also appeared in The Deuceand Rectify.

The British marital comedy State of the Unionwon the Emmy for best short-form comedy or drama series, with short-form acting honours going to its stars, Chris O'Dowd and Rosamund Pike.

Leaving Neverland, which details two men's allegations that pop star Michael Jackson sexually abused them as children, was honoured at Saturday's ceremony as best documentary or nonfiction special.

Before his 2009 death, Jackson denied repeated, similar allegations against him, and his estate has denounced the documentary.

Beyonc, whose 2018 Coachella festival concert film Homecomingwent into Saturday's ceremony with six Emmy nominations, was beaten in all categories.

James Corden's Carpool Karaokespecial with former Beatle Paul McCartney returning to his Liverpool hometown won over Homecomingfor pre-recorded variety special, while the filmed version of Bruce Springsteen's acclaimed one-man Broadway show triumphed for variety special directing.

Among other awards presented:

• Animated program: The Simpsons: "Mad About the Toy."
• Character voice-over performance: Seth MacFarlane, Family Guy: "Con Heiress."
• Host for a reality or competition program: RuPaul, RuPaul's Drag Race.
• Unstructured reality program: United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell.
• Documentary or nonfiction series: Our Planet.
• Commercial: Dream Crazy,Nike.
• Music composition for a limited series, movie or special (original dramatic score): Hildur Gudnadottir, Chernobyl: Please Remain Calm.
• Music composition for a series (original dramatic score): Ramin Djawadi, Game of Thrones: The Long Night.