Tramell Tillman of Apple TV+’s hit sequence “Severance” gained the Emmy for supporting actor in a drama, changing into the primary Black actor to win the class. He obtained a standing ovation as he accepted the award.
Tillman was awarded for his portrayal of the enigmatic and probably sinister worker supervisor Seth Milchick, who leads the macrodata refinement crew at Lumon Industries after earlier boss Concord Cobel (Patricia Arquette) is unceremoniously eliminated. The actor was spotlighted in a number of episodes through the present’s second season, notably the finale, when Mr. Milchick boogied whereas backing a marching band throughout an worker celebration for finishing the Chilly Harbor file.
The victory got here in one of many ceremony’s best contests as Tillman confronted off towards two of his “Severance” co-stars, Zach Cherry and John Turturro; a trio from Season 3 of HBO’s “The White Lotus” — Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs and Sam Rockwell; and James Marsden from Hulu’s “Paradise.” It was Tillman’s first Emmy nomination and first win.
He devoted his win to his mom, describing her as his first appearing coach — “tough, but all great mothers are.”
“Mama, you were there for me when no one else was, and no one else would show up,” he stated. “This is for you.”
“I am full. I am humbled. I am honored,” Tillman continued. Elevating his trophy, he capped off his speech with, “and as my mother would say, ‘Woo! Look at God.’ ”
In a dialogue throughout an episode of the Los Angeles Occasions’ The Envelope podcast, Tillman stated he had initially considered Mr. Milchick as a villain. However he got here to comprehend that the character was extra advanced.
“To categorize him as a villain, I think it’s a bit shortsighted,” he stated. “It’s easy to go that route. And so what I really enjoy is the conversation where people are discussing if he is a villain because I think that there is more to mine. There’s more to understand.”
After his historic win, Tillman underscored the work of different Black actors.
“I’m on cloud nine,” he stated within the winner’s room. “I’m still processing, but I am fortunate to be in the company of such great actors that have gone before me, like Andre Braugher, Ossie Davis, Michael K. Williams, that have done beautiful work … Giancarlo Esposito, Jeffrey Wright. These men have been taking on the work for years.”
— Kaitlyn Huamani contributed to this report.
