Darren Criss wins best actor as The Assassination of Gianni Versace picks up three Emmys
Darren Criss accepts the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie award (Kevin Winter/Getty)
Darren Criss won an outstanding lead actor award and Ricky Martin missed out on his first Emmy as The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story picked up three honours at the ceremony last night (September 17).
The third season of Netflix’s true-crime anthology documented Versace’s murder by Criss’s Andrew Cunanan, with its director Ryan Murphy winning the award for Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special for the first episode of the season, “The Man Who Would be Vogue.”
In an emotional speech, Murphy dedicated his fifth Emmy win to LGBT+ people who have suffered hate crimes, calling on legislators to create stricter laws to stop attacks.
Darren Criss in the Netflix show (Netflix)
He told the audience: “The Assassination of Gianni Versace is about a lot of things, it’s about homophobia, internalised and externalised.
“One of out of every four LGBTQ people in this country will be the victim of a hate crime,” he added.
“We dedicate this award to them, to awareness, to stricter hate crime laws, and mostly, this is for the memory of Jeff and David and Gianni and for all of those taken too soon.”
Criss thanked Murphy after he picked up his first-ever Emmy.
Murphy dedicated his fifth Emmy win to LGBT+ people who have suffered hate crimes (ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty)
The former Glee actor told the audience at Los Angeles’ Microsoft Theatre: “Oh, my god, you guys are witnessing the most extraordinary moment of my life thus far.
“Actors are only as good as the moments they’re given and granted.
“I’m so profoundly indebted to my friend Ryan Murphy for entrusting me with this opportunity of a lifetime and for believing in me,” added the 31-year-old, who last year opened up about appearing in gender-defying Broadway musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
Murphy and the rest of the show’s cast and crew (Kevin Winter/Getty)
“I am so very privileged to be in this room among so many people that inspire the living crap out of me. And I am so honoured to be nominated.
“A lot of you guys I have been a fan of for such a long time.”
Ricky Martin, who missed out on the outstanding supporting actor award for his role as Versace’s partner Antonio D’Amico, spoke out earlier this year to urge people to accept open relationships as normal and healthy.
Ricky Martin and his family (Frazer Harrison/Getty)
The 46-year-old gay icon, who would have been halfway to an EGOT with the award, said he wanted the show’s depiction of Versace and D’Amico’s 15 years as partners to “normalise relationships like this.”
“It’s good for the world; it’s good for me as a gay man with kids,” added the father of two.
“It’s important that we shed some light on power couples like this.”
Martin married his partner Jwan Yosef earlier this year, in a secret wedding which was only revealed to the public when a reporter questioned the “Livin’ La Vida Loca” singer on the red carpet for the TV show.
