Courtney B. Vance took home a guest actor Emmy on Sunday for his work on Lovecraft Country, and used the occasion to honor his late co-star Michael K. Williams, as well as express his thoughts on the show’s surprise cancellation.
After shouting out the show’s creator Misha Green in his acceptance speech, Vance shared some words on Williams, who was found dead last week after narcotics were allegedly found in his home.
“Finally to Michael K. Williams. Misha said it best,” Vance, who took home Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series, shared. “Michael did everything with his full heart open, with his infinite spirit and with way too much style. May he rest in power and let us all honor his immense legacy by being a little more love forward, a little more endless in thought and a little more swaggy in act.”
After the speech, Vance said while speaking backstagethat he and Williams recently met for the first time after he’s been “following him and he’s been following me for a number of years,” per Deadline.
“We met at an event in New Jersey about two and-a-half, three years ago,” Vance said. “We were just overjoyed to share the same dias and couldn’t wait to get offstage so we could hug and just say how much we loved each other. And the idea that shortly after that we would be playing brothers in Lovecraft Country. This is his. We were brothers. I died in the series and we said goodbye to each other, so it’s just too painful to really think about so I just honor him everywhere and every way I can.”
Vance also made it clear that he’s not pleased with HBO’s decision to cancel the show, saying that while he’s “very, very happy” for his victory, he’s also “very sad because of Michael and because we’re not still doing the show.” The popular series was called off by HBO back in July, with Green even sharing some info on what it all would’ve looked like shortly after.
“In my mind and in my spirit it doesn’t make sense,” Vance said. “I’m sad for audiences that we don’t get to see like Game of Thrones we don’t get to see seven years, eight years of following these characters and learning more about that time period and learning about our people and their struggles. And where Misha’s mind is going to go so that’s very painful for me as an actor.”
