In a move unsurprising to anyone who saw even a few minutes of The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, Sarah Paulson took home her first 2016 Emmy Award for her incredible portrayal of Marcia Clark in the first season of Ryan Murphy's true crime anthology.
In her acceptance speech, the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie winner took the time to apologize to the woman she played in the miniseries. "The responsibility of playing a real person is an enormous one. You want to get it right, not for you but for them," she said.
"And the more I learned about the real Marcia Clark, not the two-dimensional cardboard cutout I saw on the news but the complicated, whip-smart, giant-hearted mother of two who woke up every day, put both feet on the floor and dedicated herself to righting an unconscionable wrong, the loss of two innocents—Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown—the more I had to recognize that I, along with the rest of the world, had been superficial and careless in my judgment. I'm glad to be able to stand here today in front of everyone and tell you I'm sorry," she said to Clark, who happened to be her date to the ceremony.
Clark had tears in her eyes as she listened to Paulson's words.
Paulson beat out fellow nominees Felicity Huffman (American Crime), Lili Taylor (American Crime), Kerry Washington (Confirmation), Kirsten Dunst (Fargo) and Audra McDonald (Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill)—yes, one of the tightest races of the year. Minutes earlier, her costar Sterling K. Brown won for his role in the FX limited series (and both credited each other in their speeches). As she did on the red carpet, Paulson also gave a shoutout to her love Holland Taylor.
This is the second award Paulson has won for her role in the show, having taken home the Television Critics Association award for Individual Achievement in Drama last month.