Richard Madden

“You constantly question yourself as an actor — if you’re good enough or keen enough — you’re constantly questioning your ability. Getting nominated was a confidence booster and now I’ve won it, so I’m kind of blown away by it. It’s a wake-up call to believe in myself, because other people do.”

Madden once again stated that rumors of him being the next James Bond are rumors, but he and “Bodyguard” creator Jed Mercurio are very very open to a second season of the BBC/Netflix thriller. 

“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”

“My favorite part was finding a voice for Miles Morales — something that could stand up to Peter Parker as a character,” writer/executive producer Phil Lord said. “Eight hundred people put their hands on this movie, and you can see it in every frame.” 
 

“The Americans”

Co-creator Joe Weisberg said that his hope for the show’s legacy was that “this was a show about a marriage, and that’s what we want people to look back on and remember — a couple with a lot of very intense ups and downs. A very complex but ultimately very loving marriage.” 

Patricia Arquette

“I see a lot of Joyce in the world all over,” Arquette told reporters backstage. “I think she has low-grade depression and I think all of America has had some low-grade depression.” 

But this made the character unique: “We never once heard this refrain — ‘Is she likable enough?’ ‘Is she attractive enough?’ I felt so free.”

Ben Whishaw

On the question of whether straight actors should stop playing gay characters, or vice versa: “I don’t think that should happen, because I really believe that actors can embody and portray anything and shouldn’t be defined by who they are… But I think there needs to be greater equality. It should be an even playing field for everybody — that’s where we should be aiming.” 

Lady Gaga and Mark Ronson

The songwriting team got cheers when winner Lady Gaga walked on stage with her massive train, held up by her collaborators. 

Michael Douglas

The “Kominsky Method” star acknowledged that he and wife Catherine Zeta-Jones been married for 18 years now, and also plugged Zeta-Jones’ new Facebook Watch comedy “Queen America.” 

“I think comedy is much more difficult than drama — we all cherish a funny friend more than the serious guys we know, so this meant a lot to me,” Douglas said about what it means to him to win for Best Actor in a Comedy Series. He credited the rise of streaming media to what’s attracted film actors like him to serialized narratives. 

Patricia Clarkson

“This is what 59 looks like,” the “Sharp Objects” star declared to cheers from reporters, with this follow-up: “I haven’t had a breath or a bite in about four days.”

“Sharp Objects” may not have won in every category it was nominated in, but Clarkson was full of excitement. “I feel I’ve won for everybody — I’m here tonight to celebrate ‘Sharp Objects.'”

Mahershala Ali

“I have so much anxiety — I only say yes to something that makes me feel uncomfortable,” the “Green Book” star said of how he approaches roles, noting that as much preparation as he might do, once production begins “it all goes out the window… the only thing that really calms me is prayer and meditation.” 

When asked about how his past as a basketball player affects him today, Ali told reporters that the fact that he always played team sports meant that “I never really understood accomplishing anything without the help of a lot of people.” He was upset that he forgot to thank Chris Bowers, who doubled for him in “Green Book.” “You can’t do it without the other person.” 

Alfonso Cuaron

Alfonso Cuaron praised Netflix (not for the first time) for bringing his black-and-white Spanish-language film “Roma” to a wider audience than it might have reached normally. “The market has for foreign-speaking films is very limited,” he told reporters. 

Winning for “Roma” was “more meaningful” than his wins for “Gravity,” Cuaron said, not just because of the film’s unique nature, but that it was “also about a character who has been invisible in cinema, which is very exciting.” 

Rachel Broshahan

Rachel Brosnahan, winning Best Actress in a Comedy for the second time, said that “this has been the greatest experience of my life, playing this part.” She teased that production on Season 3 begins in the spring, and while she knows a few details, she couldn’t share much. “I cannot wait.” 

“The Kominsky Method”

“Part of the joy of doing a show when you get older is that you don’t remember anything,” creator Chuck Lorre said of his Netflix comedy. But the “Two and a Half Men” creator seemed genuinely stunned and appreciative of his win, especially when he was asked when he last won an award for his shows. “Winning for ‘Roseanne’ in 1991 and ‘Cybil’ in 1995,” he eventually recalled. “So, you know, recently.” 

Octavia Spencer and “Green Book”

Octavia Spencer got a few questions about how the family of Don Shirley has taken issue with how he was depicted in “Green Book,” and redirected the conversation. “I’m a little troubled that answering that question could cause them any more distress,” she said, adding that “in lieu of saying anything directly to the Shirley family,” she would talk about what the character and story meant to her. “For me, it was about the idea that there were people like Don Shirley in the ’60s — and we never saw them on film.” 

Glenn Close

Glenn Close talked about the character she plays in “The Wife” in relationship to her own mother, a woman who told Close that beyond being a mother, she hadn’t accomplished anything with her life. “I hold her in my heart and I’m very moved to get this particular award for this particular story.”