Mariska Hargitay will head into her Primetime Emmys hosting debut as a winner after taking home two awards at the Creative Arts Emmys, reports Hindustan Times.
The actor, who will host the ceremony on 14 September, was recognised for My Mom Jayne: A Film By Mariska Hargitay. She won in the directing for a documentary or nonfiction programme category and also received the award for outstanding documentary or nonfiction special.
The victories bring Hargitay’s career Emmy tally to three. Her previous win came in 2006, when she was named outstanding lead actress in a drama series for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Speaking to reporters backstage, Hargitay said the latest honours felt very different from her first Emmy.
“It feels extraordinarily new and it’s deeply meaningful for me to have gone into a completely different arena, and to be recognized like this is really beyond my wildest dreams,” she said.
Hargitay also reflected on the changes in her career, explaining that she has recently adopted a more open approach to new opportunities.
“I just say yes. I said yes to Broadway and I said yes to hosting the Emmys — when they called me, I thought it was a joke, and then I went, ‘Why not?’” she said.
She added, “It’s a year of firsts and a year of saying yes and not limiting myself or not being governed by fear. Like, what would I do if I wasn’t afraid? What if it all works out?”
“I’m in that place right now of going, ‘I’ll figure it out.’ I’m really happy right now,” she continued.
Hargitay also offered a glimpse into the preparations for the main ceremony, admitting that hosting the Emmys has been more demanding than she initially expected.
“It’s been a big week, this hosting the Emmys is no joke,” she said, adding that NBC had “undersold it” by suggesting she would only have two days of rehearsals.
“That was a lie,” she joked.
Despite the workload, Hargitay said she was excited to collaborate with the writing team behind The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
“I just can’t believe at this place in my life — my third act is starting and it’s pretty awesome,” she said.
