Courtney B. Vance won the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his role in HBO’s Lovecraft Country over the weekend. Vance who played Uncle George Freeman on the sci-fi series, spoke about HBO not pursuing a second season of the show and the death of his co-star, Michael K. Williams.
“I’m very, very happy and at the same time I’m very sad because of Michael and because we’re not still doing the show,” he said backstage, as reported by Deadline. “In my mind and in my spirit it doesn’t make sense… 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. I don’t understand it [the cancellation]…it doesn’t make sense to fans and that’s all who matter. We set everyone up and then we don’t deliver for whatever reason. I’m tired of it…they can find a way to make a Game of Thrones, but not Lovecraft Country.”
Vance also commented on what it’s been like since learning of his co-star Michael K. Williams’ death earlier this month.
“[Lovecraft Country creator Misha Green] said it best. Michael did everything with his full heart open, with his infinite spirit and with way too much style,” Vance said during his acceptance speech. “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.”
Vance also spoke about Williams’ impact to reporters backstage after his speech.
“I love him. We recently met for the first time,” he said of Williams, adding that they had been following each other’s work for “a number of years.”
“We met at an event in New Jersey about two-and-a-half, three years ago,” he continued. “We were just overjoyed to share the same dais and could 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 seris 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.”
Williams’ death is currently still undetermined. Williams was best known for playing layered characters such as Omar Little on The Wire and Chalky White on Boardwalk Empire. On Lovecraft Country, Williams played Montrose Freeman, the troubled father to Atticus, played by Jonathan Majors. Majors penned a tribute piece to Williams in Variety, writing “On this day my heart sits in pieces to have lost this warrior, this ferocious angel, this unique artist, my friend, the protector of the promise and my brother.”
