Matthew Rhys Wins Emmy for Best Actor in a Comedy for ‘Widow’s Bay’

Now this is going to be good for tourism. While his perpetually beleaguered and woefully out of touch Mayor Tom Loftis might be the punching bag (and potential hero?) of Apple TV’s smash hit “Widow’s Bay,” star Matthew Rhys is unquestionably a winner. Doubly so on Emmy Monday, as the Welsh actor took home his first-ever Emmy in a Comedy category on Monday night, winning Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his portrayal of the small-town’s striving leader. Earlier in the evening, Rhys won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie nod for Netflix’s “The Beast in Me.” He is the first person to win two lead acting Emmys at one ceremony. Rhys previously won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his work in “The Americans” back in 2018, making him the first male actor to win an Emmy in all three lead acting categories. He’s been nominated for eight Emmys total (including his 2017 nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his turn in “Girls,” his first comedy nod). For his work in “Widow’s Bay,” he was also nominated as a producer for Outstanding Comedy Series. But the Emmy for his work as Mayor Loftis sealed Rhys’ bonafides as a major comedic star, the center of a smash that earned a staggering 19 nominations in just its first season. The show, a wonderful mix of spooky and funny, has already been greenlit for a second season on the streamer. The show’s creator Katie Dippold told IndieWire earlier this year that the actor was not the most obvious pick for the role. “There’s a lot of comedic actors that are so funny and good actors, but I just don’t know that I would’ve watched the show,” she said. “You know what I mean? I want to feel like the show’s taking it seriously. We met with so many different people, and [casting director] Allison Jones is amazing, and she just always has wonderful ideas. I’ve always loved Matthew Rhys. I love ‘The Americans’ so much. I think he’s one of the best actors of all time. And so he came up, and to be honest, as much as I loved him, it was hard for me to imagine him doing this.” But when Dippold and Rhys got on Zoom together, it was clear: this was her Tom Loftis. “He was just so lovely and so naturally funny, and he just seemed to get it,” Dippold said. “Usually after a meeting, you either have a good feeling or a bad feeling, and I just had the best feeling. … It’s one of those things that I feel the most lucky about because I can’t imagine this show without him. I just feel like he’s so that part, and he just plays the truth of it. He never goes for the joke. He’s so funny, but he’s so funny that he knows not to try to be funny.” The 78th annual Primetime Emmy Awards took place on Monday, September 14, live on NBC at 8:00 p.m. ET/ 5:00 p.m. PT. “Law & Order: SVU” star Mariska Hargitay served as host of the awards ceremony. Check out the rest of our Emmy predictions right here.