Leslie Jones was the Emmys’ Audience Surrogate. That’s the character in a movie or TV show that essentially acts as the proxy for the viewer. In other words, she was all of us. It’s my favourite thing about Leslie Jones. Whether she’s watching the Olympics or Game of Thrones, she has no chill. She geeks out as hard as the rest of us. She is us. Last night, when Leslie screamed Regina King’s name as she opened the envelope for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie, she WAS me. I was screaming. And not just because Regina was the first non-white person to win during a show that kept patting itself on the back for how “diverse” it was.
I was screaming because Regina King is devastating in Seven Seconds. I could only make it through three episodes of dry heaving sobs before my man made me stop. Regina King can knock you out with a look and she’s been doing it for decades. This is her third Emmy but it will probably be the first in the same awards cycle that she also gets nominated for an Oscar. If Regina doesn’t get nominated for If Beale Street Could Talk, Sarah and I are going to burn sh-t down. She loved it as much as I did. Regina King does her ‘break your heart with a look’ thing throughout If Beale Street Could Talk just like she does in Seven Seconds. I don’t know why she was so surprised to win – someone should tell her that she’s Regina King – but her shock was endearing. She also made the night’s first “thank you, Jesus” callback that elevated one of Michael Che’s mediocre jokes into something actually laugh-worthy.
