You can normally count on Julia Louis-Dreyfus for a good laugh but at the Emmys today the actress had us reaching for the tissues.
The Veep actress won her fifth consecutive Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series – a record breaking win for most wins in a single category.
As she accepted her award the 55-year-old, who plays a fictional POTUS on her hit show, touched on the state of America’s presidential race.
“I’d also like to take this opportunity to personally apologise for the current political climate. I think that Veep has torn down the wall between comedy and politics,” Louis-Dreyfus said, adding, “Our show started out as a political satire but it feels now like sobering documentary. So I certainly do promise to rebuild that wall and make Mexico pay for it.”
The actress then concluded with a touching dedication to her father William who died on Friday, aged 84.
“Lastly, I’d like to dedicate this to my father, William Louis Dreyfus who passed away on Friday. I’m so glad that he liked Veep because his opinion was the one that really mattered,” she said.
The news of the billionaire art collector and businessman’s death only broke in his hometown newspaper a few hours before his daughter was due to attend the awards.
Further winners of the night have included SNL’s Kate McKinnon for Outstanding Supporting Actress for a Comedy, Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang for their comedy series Master of None, Jeffery Tambor for Transparent and Sarah Paulson who won for her role in The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.
