2018 Can Officially End Now That Darren Criss Won an Emmy
Normally, Mondays are pretty rough, but this week, Monday gifted us with something so magical and pure – Darren Criss won an Emmy. It was literally perfect and this was me watching at home:
It truly goes without saying that Darren Criss is a man of many talents. A bonafide triple threat if you will.
He first hit the scene while he was in college when he and his friends from the University of Michigan co-founded the musical theater production company, StarKid Productions. They reached viral fame with the very epic A Very Potter Musical (music and lyrics by Criss and A. J. Holmes). Haven’t seen it yet? Watch the first number below…you’re welcome.
He then joined Ryan Murphy’s hit musical series Glee on FOX as Blaine Anderson in season two where he and his croony voice significantly changed the shape of the show throughout the rest of its six-season run.
Since then he went on to headline both How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Hedwig and the Angry Inch on Broadway to sold-out theaters every night.
Most recently he teamed back up with Ryan Murphy for the next chapter of his American Crime franchise as notorious serial killer Andrew Cunanan in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.
It was a performance that was praised by critics and would earn him his first Emmy nomination.
What an honor, @TelevisionAcad. Thank you so much. Truly. Wow. And a huge congrats to my fellow cast and crew of @ACSFX! @MrRPMurphy does it again! pic.twitter.com/T8Wzn8Od5e
— Darren Criss (@DarrenCriss) July 12, 2018
Well, fast-forward to The 70th Annual Emmy Awards and Criss walked away with the top honor winning the Emmy for Outstanding Actor in a Limited Series or Movie.
His co-star Ricky Martin was verrrry excited for him.
He kicked things off with a touching sentiment of what is surely a surreal moment for anyone on their first nomination.
He went on to acknowledge the fantastic other nominees in the category, many of which he’s a huge fan. The category included John Legend, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jeff Daniels, Antonio Banderas, and Jesse Plemmons. Of course, he sent much love and gratitude to Ryan Murphy for giving him the opportunity to be a part of the journey.
He also took the time to thank his mom and dad saying “Unlike the character I played, I was lucky enough to be raised in a home that was very loving and emphasized the value of hard work, compassion and not taking yourself too seriously.” Criss concluded his speech by sending his fiancée, producer Mia Swier, the raddest and sweetest of thank yous.
All in all, it was a perfect night for every and all Darren Criss fans.
Darren Criss stole our hearts on Glee, but with The Assassination of Gianni Versace, he proved himself to be an actor of hypnotic depth and endless range. Can’t wait to see what you do next.
— Netflix US (@netflix) September 18, 2018
The only Emmy I cared about was Darren Criss–and he won! Deserved it!!
— S. E. Hinton (@se4realhinton) September 18, 2018
DARREN CRISS! I am spared a fury meltdown. He was truly great in Versace.
— Emily Nussbaum (@emilynussbaum) September 18, 2018
I AM ON A PLANE AND JUST READ THAT THE WONDERFUL @DarrenCriss WON AN EMMY AWARD! I AM DELIRIOUSLY HAPPY AND UNBELIEVABLY PROUD. GO BLUE AND GO YOU!
— Benj Pasek (@benjpasek) September 18, 2018
You can watch his full win and acceptance speech below!
Congrats Darren! To see the other winners from the evening you can check out our complete list here.
Having studied Media & Writing at James Madison University, I always knew that I wanted to do some type of creative writing, but being able to write about zombies, Starks, and superheroes on a daily basis for Fan Fest is my actual dream. While I probably shouldn’t be as proud as I am to be so similar to Nick Miller, I do hope to one day write my own “Pepperwood Chronicles’.