Matthew Rhys altered the Emmy record book by becoming the first person to collect two lead acting prizes on the same night, a double that marks a unique moment in television awards history.
Rhys won best lead actor in a limited series for The Beast In Me and best lead actor in a comedy for Widow's Bay. His sister, Rachel Evans, accompanied him to the ceremony in Los Angeles and described the wins as a surreal and emotional week for the family.
Speaking to Lucy Owen on Radio Wales, Evans said the family had been "pinching ourselves all week" and that, after the ceremony, she and Matthew called their parents who were watching from home in their dressing gowns. "I think we just all giggled for a long time," she said. Evans added that, as the "bossy" older sister, she reminded him before the awards, "If you win, you cannot wing it."
Evans recounted how Rhys thanked her during one acceptance speech, calling her "the brains of the outfit," and said she unexpectedly cried when she watched his trophies being engraved because that was when the achievement "sank in." She described the moment of victory as "insane," and said partner Keri Russell was wildly supportive, "just cheering, whooping, hands in the air."
Evans said she saw many established stars that evening and admitted being particularly starstruck by Harrison Ford. Despite attending several after-parties, the family made a point of including their parents in the celebration via video calls, and felt the response back in Wales had been "overwhelming."
In his acceptance remarks Rhys paid tribute to his homeland, thanking the "great and good people of Wales, who were as much a nurturer as anyone else," and adding, "We are a small but mighty nation," finishing with "diolch yn fawr iawn." Evans noted that although Rhys has lived abroad for 25 years, Wales "is absolutely in his heart and is his home," and that he was keen to speak to people in Wales the day after his wins.
