Courtney B. Vance’s win at the Creative Arts Emmys is bittersweet amid the sudden death of hisLovecraft CountrycostarMichael K. Williamsand the HBO series' unexpected cancellation.
After winning for outstanding guest actor in a drama series on Sunday, Vance — who played George Freeman onLovecraft Country— told PEOPLE and other news outlets how Williams both inspired and moved him. “I love him,” he said.
“I’ve been following him and he had been following me for a number of years. But we met in New Jersey about two, two and a half [or] three years ago,” continued the 61-year-old star, who was one of five Black actors towin within the six acting categorieson Sunday. “We were just overjoyed to share the same dais, and we couldn’t wait to get off stage so we could just hug and say how much we loved each other.”
Vance, who also honored Williams in his acceptance speech, added that his win belongs to his late costar.
Williams played Montrose Freeman onLovecraft Country, which has since become one of his final performances ahead ofhis Sept. 6 death. An NYPD source previously confirmed to PEOPLE that the 54-year-old was found dead in his Brooklyn penthouse apartment, though his cause of death has yet to be revealed.
Two months before Williams' passing, HBOcanceledLovecraft Countryafter one season despite it being a massive hit with critics and audiences alike. It was nominated for 12 Creative Arts Emmys.
Lovecraft Country.Eli Joshua Ade/HBO
While Vance is “very, very happy” to have won on Sunday for his role onLovecraft Country, he’s also “very sad” about Williams' death and the show’s July cancellation.
For Vance, the cancellation “doesn’t make sense” — especially after the series “set everyone up and then we don’t deliver for whatever reason,” he said.
“In my mind and in my spirit, it doesn’t make sense,” said Vance, who took home the Emmy Award for outstanding lead actor in a limited series or movie in 2016 for his role inAmerican Crime Story. “Something that was as successful as that show was, that the powers that be could not figure it out. So I’m sad for audiences that we don’t get to see likeGame of Thrones, where you get to see seven years, eight years of following these characters and learning more about the time period. Learning about our people and the struggles, and where [writer and showrunner] Misha [Greene]’s mind is going to go. So that’s very painful for me and as a fan.”
Lovercraft Country.Joshua Ade/HBO
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Still, Vance believes that “the future is bright.”
Dory Jackson
source: people.com
