Jeremy Pope Opens Up on His 'Hollywood' Emmy Nomination

Announced earlier this week, Playbill reports that Broadway star Jeremy Pope ("Choir Boy" and "Ain't Too Proud") received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his performance in Ryan Murphy's Netflix miniseries "Hollywood." The show marked Pope's television debut.

In "Hollywood," Pope played aspiring screenwriter Archie Coleman, the boyfriend of a fictionalized version of Roy Fitzgerald, better known as Rock Hudson, played by Jake Picking. Pope's portrayal of a Black gay screenwriter encountering discrimination and navigating the post-World War II "Golden Age" of Hollywood, pursuing a relationship with awkward star-in-the-making Hudson, provided some of the most compelling scenes in the miniseries.

Clearly astounded by the Emmy nod, Pope responded on twitter:

In a New York Times interview Pope explained the significance of this nomination:

"That's the big thing: This was my television debut. While I have ambitious dreams and goals, this one felt kind of far. I'm just very grateful to be nominated alongside such incredible actors and artists. I cried this morning. It's like feeling seen from a new group of people. I have my tribe of friends and family, but to receive that love from the Television Academy, for everyone that voted, it's really special."

Later in the interview, Pope discusses the call for more storylines that focus on Black characters and experiences:

"It's so important, because there's a young Jeremy out there who needs to see that this goal is tangible, to know that we want to hear their story, that we embrace their story, that their stories are necessary. So for me, my mind is blown. But I also know for someone out there, hopefully this gives them the extra oomph that they need to keep fighting and keep forward."

Up next for the star is "Scandalous!," in which he will star as the legendary crooner Sammy Davis Jr. Deadline reports that the film, directed by Janet Mock ("Hollywood" and "Pose"), will focus on "the interracial love affair between the entertainer and actress Kim Novak, who at the time was the top box office draw in Hollywood." The actress playing Novak had yet to be named.